Mahogany
by mayarmayar
Summary: May's back in Johto, and she can't be more tired. Following her loss in the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh, she delves back into the Johto Contest circuit, determined to win her five ribbons and enter the Grand Festival. Along the way, she stumbles across new and old rivals, and learns to find friendship-and maybe even love. Contestshipping.
1. 1

**1**

May's back in Johto, and she can't be more tired.

Straight after the harrowing Wallace Cup finals where she lost to Dawn, she boarded the steamship back to Olivine City. In Olivine City, she had a fitful sleep overnight in the Pokemon Centre before heading out at first light, trekking through Route 39 and 38 tirelessly, her mind all the while running on overdrive.

She can't stop replaying her final battle in the Wallace Cup against Dawn, and the exact moment when the timer stopped and Dawn's face lit up on the display for the whole world to see. It was a tough battle—a very close one, too—and May knows she enjoyed battling Dawn very much—in the Sinnoh Coordinator she sees a familiar spark she hasn't felt herself since Johto, and battling her to the end reignited that fire in May.

But now, May's hungry and tired, and all she can think about is disappointment.

"Miss?" A voice draws May out of her reverie.

Blearily, she looks up to see a turquoise-haired lady riding a motorbike. She dons the familiar police uniform, and May sags in relief. Officer Jenny must be doing her daily patrols—she thanks the stars as she bows and mumbles a string of incoherent words to the police officer—and before May knew it, she's seated on the motorbike behind Officer Jenny, her arms wrapped tightly around the lady's waist as they zoom past the Johto forest.

As the dry air blows relentlessly at her face, May falls into her thoughts again.

She's disappointed, all right. That's something she would never admit to Ash and Dawn and Brock and Zoey and the others back at Sinnoh because she wants to be a good sport, but if she has to be honest to herself, the loss hurt, and still hurts. She is disappointed in herself. She also knows thousands of people, thousands of fans were watching her intently for her win that never came. Not to mention her mother, her father, Max, and all her friends and rivals back in Hoenn, Kanto and Johto. Harley, Solidad… and Drew.

_Drew_. A bitter smile plays at May's lips, even as her eyes irrationally rake over every piece of blurred forest scenery that whizzes past her, searching for a trace of the green-haired Coordinator. She shakes her head, willing herself to snap back to reality. She and Drew haven't kept in much contact—the last call he ever gave May was back when he just started his journey in the Johto region; the last she's seen of him was when she faced him off at one of the Johto Pokemon Contests—she made it to the second round, only to be beaten by him. And in the other contests she's lost, she either lost to him, Harley, or Solidad. It's infuriating, and not much help since the Grand Festival is a few months away and she still has two more Ribbons to win if she wants to compete in it. And the last she's heard of him? When she chanced upon an article in a Grand Festival themed magazine in the seaport of Olivine City, right before she boarded the steamship to Sinnoh, desperate for a change in scenery. The article, titled "Ten Coordinators to Watch in the Johto Grand Festival", listed Drew, having already earned five Contest Ribbons, as one of the Coordinators to keep an eye on.

Now, with only three more months to the Grand Festival and just three more Contests remaining in the whole of Johto, May knew she had to win, no matter what.

She had to face Drew. Perhaps he's seen her performance in the Wallace Cup on TV and perhaps he was disappointed at her loss—actually, scratch that—he _totally_ was disappointed at her loss. May can see him now in her head, with that infuriating smirk of his permanently plastered on his face as he flips his hair and make insulting jabs at her technique.

And May can't let that happen.

She has to prove Drew wrong. She has to prove to him she's still capable of putting up a hell of a fight for him. She has so much to prove to him, and so she knew immediately after she lost the Cup—she has to go to Mahogany City, join the Pokemon Contest happening in two days' time, and win the Contest to get her fourth Ribbon. And then, win another Contest to get her fifth ribbon, enter the Grand Festival, and finally—face Drew.

May has it all planned out, a thorough mental to-do list she willed herself to follow strictly. But right now, she's tired, and all she wants to do is to collapse in a soft bed.

* * *

"Miss, wake up, we're here."

May blinks away her sleep and stares around her blearily. Colours and shapes start to form in front of her eyes—her slackening grip on Officer Jenny, the green roofs of little cottages, small pine trees dotting the grassy plains that stretch out as far as she can see. People of all ages and sizes mill past them, some throwing curious glances at the police officer on a motorbike with a half-conscious girl.

Mahogany Town.

"I had absolutely no idea Mahogany Town could be this crowded. It must be because of the upcoming Contest!" she remarks, her sleepiness fading away with the exciting prospect of the contest.

"Yes, perhaps so," agrees Officer Jenny. "Though, there is another reason for the crowd—you see, the new Gym Leader is performing in the recently renovated Gym this evening."

At the word 'performance', May perks up. "Performance? Like how Pokémon Coordinators perform in appeal rounds of Contests?"

"Oh no," laughs Officer Jenny. "Our new Gym Leader, replacing the old Gym Leader Pryce, is a world-renowned figure skater—Sylvia. She's putting up a skating show in the refurbished Gym, which happens to be an ice rink."

May's eyes widen. "World-renowned? I had no idea! And an ice rink, too! I've never been to one of those."

"Well, then you should go and see Sylvia at the Mahogany Gym later," suggests Officer Jenny. "The show tickets are all sold out, but I can give you mine."

"Oh, no, that wouldn't be nice of m—" May starts hurriedly, but Officer Jenny shakes her head, smiling.

"I have to do patrols outside the Gym later, anyway, so I wouldn't be able to watch much of the show." She hands May a small piece of card from her pouch. May accepts it with hesitant hands.

"Well, then, thank you very much, Officer Jenny," she says earnestly, "for fetching me here and giving me a ticket to the show. How can I ever repay you?"

"It's no problem, Miss. I bid you goodbye." Officer Jenny salutes her, but then her eyes widen as her hand falls to her side. "Oh, but I never did get your name."

"It's May!" May shouts, a hand held up as she picks up her pace and runs towards the Pokémon Centre.

She doesn't exactly expect Officer Jenny to recognise her as the Princess of Hoenn, but she hates to admit that some little part of her deep down wanted the officer to. Some self-absorbed, arrogant, overconfident part of her.

She bites her lip. God, she really _does _need Drew to bring her back into reality.

* * *

"Welcome to the Pokémon Centre!" a warm, cheery voice greets May as soon as she steps into the well-lit ambience of the building.

"Chansey!" A pink Pokémon lumbers to May's side, an egg tucked into her front pocket.

She smiles. "Hi, Chansey."

"What can I do for you?" asks Nurse Joy as May approaches the front desk.

May retrieves her Pokeballs and passes them to Nurse Joy. "I'll need you to make sure my Pokemon are all well and rested for the upcoming Contest, thank you!"

"No problem," assures Nurse Joy as she receives the Pokeballs carefully. "I assume you're here to compete in the Mahogany Contest?"

"Yes!" Nurse Joy's smile widens as May launches into a flurried ramble. "I just arrived here from the Wallace Cup and I'm excited to win my fourth Contest Ribbon here so I can get one step closer to competing in the Grand Festival!"

"Well, I wish you the best of luck." Nurse Joy hands the tray of May's Pokéballs to Chansey, who places them on a trolley and rolls the trolley further into the Centre. "Mahogany Town has never seen so many Coordinators before. In fact, almost all of the people here in the Centre now are Coordinators like you waiting for their Pokemon to be returned."

May looks around her. The Pokémon Centre is moderately crowded with people and Pokémon, and Nurse Joy's right—she even sees a few Coordinators she's competed against in previous Contests. But of course, there's no sign of Drew, Harley or Solidad—after all, they've already earned their five Contest Ribbons, and ought to be busy training for the Grand Festival by now. May heaves a sigh.

Nurse Joy has excused herself, too busy with tending to the Pokémon at hand to continue casual conversation with May. Unbeknownst to herself, her eyes land on the potted plant resting innocently on the otherwise spotless counter. She stares thoughtfully at the lush red roses in the pot, too beautiful to have been bought from a brandless flower shop, but shakes her head after a moment of pondering.

_It's a coincidence and you're overthinking, _she thinks to herself. _Besides, he doesn't have any reason to be here._ But she still takes one of the roses between her fingers and slips it into her satchel.

She glances at the clock on the wall—it's half-past four, and it'll be a good half hour before her Pokémon will be ready to be collected. She decides to attend to her empty, growling stomach. And street food won't settle—she needs quality, high-end cuisine which would probably empty her wallet as fast as it fills her stomach, but May takes her food pretty seriously.

So she heads to the nearest fine-dining restaurant, and the _only_ fine-dining restaurant in Mahogany—the Royal Glacia. A waiter ushers her into the cozy and well-lit interior of the diner and seats her down by the window. She smiles as she receives the menu with two hands, and when the waiter has gone, she first looks not at the menu but around her. There are not many customers dining, and the quiet and peaceful ambience, paired with eating alone, is a breath of fresh air for someone who spends every day travelling and living with people like Ash and Max. She feels a pang of something that isn't hunger, and she looks back down at the laminated menu.

After she has ordered her long-awaited food, May sighs in relief and leans back against the comfortable cushion of the chair. But her hard-earned peace is soon interrupted when the silence of the restaurant shatters, the sound of padded footsteps against the marble floor bringing her to earth.

Slowly, May opens one eye, then the other, and stares at the lady who has just entered.

She's like no one May has ever seen before—she is visually unique and stunning, with skin as pale as snow, brown hair so dark it's almost black, and impossibly green eyes. She has the build of an athlete—she seems so slender and graceful, even with visibly toned arms and legs that show even under the black jacket and leggings she's wearing. And yet, however unique she may look, May still sees something oddly familiar in the slant of her nose, the sly curve of her lips, and the emerald green of her irises.

She looks like everyone and no-one all at the same time.

The lady catches May staring, and their eyes meet. The lady's lips curl up slightly, and May is struck yet again with that strange feeling that they've met before. But then the lady looks away to face the waiter, and that feeling dissipates right along with that simple movement.

"Welcome, Miss Sylvia," the waiter says, a hand held out. "Take a seat, if you please."

"Sylvia," May murmurs under her breath. Where has she heard that name before?

And then she realises.

_The new Mahogany Town Gym Leader._ _The world-renowned figure skater._

The very person she's going to watch perform at the Gym this evening.

Just in time, the server arrives with May's food, and May diverts her attention to eating. All the while, she can feel Sylvia's eyes on her, but she heeds it no attention. She's a little intimidated by her, to say the least.

* * *

She hands Officer Jenny's crumpled ticket to the kind-faced old man at the entrance of the Gym, and just like that, she's in.

As soon as she takes a step into the atrium, a blast of cold air hits against her face, and goosebumps start to dot her arms, making her really wish she had a jacket with her right now. The frigid, stinging cold starts to set in, and she gladly makes her way to a vendor setting up their temporary store in the atrium, buying herself a cup of hot chocolate before heading into the arena.

Behind her, a queue the length of Rayquaza starts to form. She's glad she got here early. But how can you blame her? After seeing Sylvia up close at the restaurant an hour ago, May is intrigued. She wants to see what Sylvia's all about.

"I heard she's an Ice-type Gym Leader, just like Pryce was." May overhears a man telling his partner as the two of them stride past her.

His partner snorts. "Well, duh! She's an _ice _skater. That's why she made it _even _colder, transforming this Gym into a goddamn ice rink." May raises her eyebrows at their crude language, clutches her hot chocolate tighter, and follows them into the rink.

Her breath catches in her throat at the sight.

The ice rink's so much bigger than she previously envisioned. Spanning what has to be at least a whopping fifty metres, the ice rink stretches out far from her end to the other end of the arena, with rows of tiny seats rising up from the ground like a giant wave. The overcast headlights strike their blinding white light onto the pale white ice below, making the surface of the wet ice glimmer and sparkle. The ice is flawless, without a single scratch, save for the bold blue and red lines painted across the ice to transform it into a classic Pokemon arena battlefield.

It makes May even envious that she's not a Pokemon Trainer. The prospect of having the chance to just step foot on that ice and battle makes her lean forward in excitement.

Gingerly, she makes her way to the rows of seats, and carefully handpicks the best seat she can find right now with all the people milling into the arena. The view is stunning from her angle, and no one will be able to obstruct it.

Idle now, she watches the crowd of people making their way to the seats. The cold of the arena keeps her eyes open, but numbs her mind, and soon May finds herself spacing out watching all the people of different ages and sizes and appearances entering the rink.

Suddenly, she thinks she sees a blurred flash of green and purple and black somewhere in the crowd, but a grumbling middle-aged man squeezes past her, blocking her view, and when she's able to look around again, she can't see any trace of what she thought she saw seconds ago.

The bright headlights are making her hallucinate. May rubs her temples and squeezes her eyes, and before she knows it, the crowds have settled and the lights have dimmed. A single spotlight shines on the emcee on the ice who wasn't there a second ago, and May leans forward intently.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to the grand reopening of the Mahogany Gym," the emcee announces in a clear, bright voice. She kind of reminds May of Vivian Meridian. "It's cold in here, but our hearts are warm with excitement this evening. So, for the first segment of the event, without further ado, let us put our hands together to welcome on ice, two-time Figure Skating World Champion and the new Mahogany Gym Leader, Sylvia!"

The whole arena bursts into cheers and applause, and May claps loudly as well. The spotlight on the emcee fades into the darkness, and a new, brighter beam of light focuses on a lithe figure gliding on ice skates to the centre of the ice, a graceful pose struck for the whole arena to see.

Then the music starts, and like a ripple in the water, the silhouette starts to move, shedding light on itself and revealing Sylvia's familiar face. She wears a beautiful dark blue dress with studded crystals embedded in the fabric of the tulle skirt. May is entranced from the very start, her breath bated as she follows the skater's every movement across the expansive ice, in tune with the lilting melody of the music. At first glance, Sylvia's face seems expressionless, but one look into her green eyes and May knows there are many stories, many emotions she's telling through her nuanced movements.

May doesn't know any of the names of the moves, but she's captivated all the same by the inherent knowledge that Sylvia pulls every single one of them off perfectly—whether it's when she's spinning so fast as she holds a poised position on the ice, whether it's when she's dancing across the ice in a series of crossed legs and flowing arms, or when she leaps from the ice, spinning in the air before landing back on one leg without a single slip. And when Sylvia finally pulls herself into the ending position, she finds herself rising with the rest of the crowd and cheering for the new Gym Leader.

Sylvia's performance was beautiful, no doubt about that. But as she sits herself back down, May finds herself frowning. There was emotion expressed in the performance, but something was definitely lacking—and as a Coordinator, she immediately knows what it is.

Pokémon.

Perhaps she's too used to performing along with her Pokémon and showing off the beauty of her Pokémon in Contests, but there's no denying that Sylvia's performance would have been even better, even more memorable with her Pokémon complementing her figure skating. And since she's both a Gym Leader and a performer, she probably works closely with her Pokémon, so she should know how to play off their strength and beauty to put on the best show.

May wonders why she doesn't do that. If Drew were here with May, he'll definitely be lamenting about Sylvia's wasted potential as well.

"Alright, after that simply spectacular performance by our new Gym Leader, we can't wait to see her expert battling on ice as well!" the emcee hollers into the mic. "That leads us into the second segment of the grand reopening, where one very lucky individual will get the chance to battle against Sylvia as the first ever challenger of the new Gym. If the challenger wins this match, he or she will be presented with the first ever Glacia Badge! The Glacia Badge replaces the old Glacier Badge previously issued by Pryce, and I'm holding it in my hand right _here!"_ The emcee holds up the badge in her hand, and the light catches the edge of the badge and flashes in May's eyes. The badge is in the shape of an ice skate, and even from a distance, it's beautiful. The crowd cheers again.

"So," the emcee continues with a wink, "who will be brave enough to step up and be the first challenger of the new Mahogany Gym?"

May shifts in her seat. The crowd begins to murmur, but before anyone can step up, a voice rings out from somewhere in the crowd, loud and clear, halting all debate, "I will."

May stiffens at the voice, and ever so slowly, she turns her head to find the source of the voice. The rest of the arena turns with her, and as May finally catches sight of the green-haired boy she's thought so much about in Sinnoh, her breath catches in her throat at the seriousness of his face.

Drew.

For some reason, Sylvia looks as shocked as May feels, but her lips purse, her eyes narrow, and for the first time, May hears her speak: "A Coordinator is hardly a worthy challenger."

Her voice is cold as ice, and a chill runs down May's spine, even as anger boils in her gut at Sylvia's careless words. The crowd's murmurs get even louder. But Drew doesn't seem at all affected by her cold demeanour. And somehow, for someone who doesn't appear to be a fan of Contests, Sylvia knows Drew's a Coordinator.

"You won't be saying that," he calls out, the steeliness in her voice making May stare at him, "after we have had that battle."

She's never seen him so serious, so _angry_ before.

The emcee steps closer to Sylvia's side and whispers something in her ear. Sylvia's tense shoulders relax, and she says, "Fine. I accept your challenge."

Drew gives her that infamous crooked smile of his, and runs down the spectator stands. He enters the ice hastily, his shoes slipping against the smooth surface, and May inhales sharply—that's the first time she's ever seen someone as sure-footed as Drew lose his balance. But after all, in a playing field like this, he's out of his element here. This won't be an easy battle for him.

_Good luck, Drew, _May thinks.

Drew carefully walks to one end of the battlefield, where Sylvia is already waiting for him on the other end, her ice skates standing her motionless on the ice, her face as expressionless as ever. The two of them face each other, and looking at Sylvia's strained face and Drew's angry one, May can't help but think that they already know each other—it's obvious they have bad blood between them.

"The rules of this battle are as follows," the emcee announces. "This will be a one-on-one Gym battle. Both Gym Leader and challenger are allowed to use only one Pokémon each, and the battle will be over when one side is unable to continue battling."

"Fine by me," says Drew, and Sylvia nods curtly.

"Well, then," the emcee says. "Let the battle between Gym Leader Sylvia and the challenger begin!"

* * *

Drew pulls out his Pokéball and hurls it towards the battlefield, shouting, "Roserade, take the stage!"

"Roserade, huh?" mutters May as white light overflows from the Pokéball and onto the ice to reveal Drew's iconic Grass-type. Even after it beat her Beautifly in the Ecruteak Roserade sparkles in the light, but May can see its strained face and shivering body. _It must be due to the cold,_ she realises. _Is sending out a Grass-type like Roserade really a good idea?_

Sylvia's lip curls. "'Take the stage'. Spoken like a true Coordinator." Her eyes fix on Roserade, and May sees the shock written on her face, her mouth slightly parted, her eyes wide and glassy—and Roserade lets out an audible whimper at the sight of the Gym Leader.

It seems more and more like Drew and Sylvia know each other. May frowns, tilting her head at them thoughtfully.

Sylvia retrieves her own Pokéball, slender fingers barely holding on to the sphere as she sends out her Pokémon. "Let's go, Glaceon!"

A gasp escapes May's mouth as a Glaceon materialises onto the ice, nearly identical to her own Glaceon—save for the way _this _Glaceon's fur shimmers and shines in the light. On closer inspection, May realises it's due to the thousands of little ice shards on the Glaceon's body, catching the light from above.

It's obvious who has the type advantage. But May knows Drew has more than plenty tricks up his sleeve.

"You may have the fi—" Drew starts, but Sylvia cuts him off.

"You may have the first move," she says with a languid smile, and from her seat, May can see Drew bristle.

It's like she knows what his strategy is, May realises. In Contest battles, May is used to Drew letting her have the first move every single time—letting her rush blindly straight into offence, before blocking her attacks effortlessly and proceeding to unleash his Pokemon's wrath on her. It almost always ends with her losing to him.

Now, he has the first move, something that May has never seen happen before. The ball isn't in his court anymore, and May looks on the battle with interest.

"Roserade, Sunny Day!" shouts Drew.

_Would it really work in a place like this?_ May wonders. The figure skater must be thinking the same thing, because she scoffs at Drew's choice of move.

The red and blue roses on Roserade's begin to glow with a brilliant white light. Roserade raises its arms to the sky and launches two white beams towards the high domed ceiling of the ice rink. They strike the headlights above, causing the lights to glow even brighter. May feels newfound heat crawl up her arms, and she sighs in relief. Below her, the topmost layer of ice seems to melt and turn the rink glistening.

Roserade lowers its arms and sighs as it soaks in the warmth.

Drew smirks at Sylvia. "Not so confident now, are we?"

"Don't _you_ get too confident," says Sylvia. "We're just starting out." She splays her hand out towards Glaceon, and the evolved form of Eevee bares its teeth, growling at Roserade. "Glaceon, use Ice Beam!"

Glaceon launches a beam of ice at Roserade. Roserade jumps up, twirling in mid-air as it dodges the attack effortlessly. It lands back on the ice with a splash of water. The beam of ice falls short of Roserade and instead hits the surface of the ice. It freezes the melted water back into a thin sheet of ice that climbs up Roserade's feet, effectively trapping it in the ice.

Sylvia snaps her fingers. "Now, Glaceon," she commands. "Use Shadow Ball!"

"Magical Leaf!" Drew counters.

The Magical Leaf and Shadow Ball collide against each other and cancel each other out in a burst of blinding light and black smoke. As the smoke fades away, Drew's Roserade is still struggling to get out of its icy prison.

"Use Petal Dance while spinning, Roserade!" Roserade grunts as it releases its trademark pink petals, the ice around its feet shattering as it spins out of its trap at breakneck speed. A powerful wind picks up, the petals swirling and hurtling towards Glaceon.

"This isn't a Contest where you battle for style points. Blizzard!" Sylvia calls out. Planting its feet firmly on the ice, Glaceon opens its mouth and unleashes an equally strong wind, pelting snow and hail towards Roserade. The ice shards on Glaceon's coat also dislodge themselves and fly towards the Grass-type Pokémon at alarming speed.

Roserade has no time to dodge, and it gets a direct hit from the frigid blizzard. The effect of the Sunny Day weakens, and Roserade screams as the headlights shut down, plunging the whole arena into darkness.

"Roserade!" Drew cries.

"You waited too long to use your card, Drew," says Sylvia with a smirk scarily similar to her challenger's. "I put an end to your Sunny Day. There's snow and ice in the forecast and by the time Roserade charges up enough energy for Solar Beam, it'll be down and the battle will be over." She points a finger towards Roserade. "Giga Impact!"

Glaceon's body becomes surrounded in a feverish, crackling energy. A bright flash of yellow light flickers in its face. It takes big lunges across the ice towards Roserade as an orb of light purple energy with spiralling yellow streaks swirl and envelop its body. With a shuddering cry, Glaceon slams itself against Roserade's chest with a humongous impact that causes Roserade to fly backwards at a frightening speed. Roserade hits the barrier wall of the rink with a sickening crunch, and it doubles over and crumples onto the ice, motionless.

May's hand flies to her mouth as she stares at Roserade's limp form.

"Roserade is unable to battle, which means the winner is Gym Leader Sylvia and her Glaceon!" the emcee announces. The audience bursts into cheers and applause, but May keeps her hands pressed against her thighs, feeling too uncomfortable to clap for Drew's defeat.

"Roserade!" Drew runs over to the side of the wall, slipping and nearly falling as he rushes over to his Pokémon's side and cradles it in his arms. Roserade groans and puts a hand over its head. He smiles sadly down at it.

"You were great, Roserade. Have a good rest." With that, he returns Roserade back into its Pokéball, and stands up, glaring at Sylvia.

Sylvia gives him a bland smile in return. "Disappointing as always, Drew." She points her Pokéball at Glaceon. "Glaceon, return."

Then, she flips her hair and skates towards the exit of the rink before disappearing from sight. Drew follows her, half-running and half-sliding towards the backstage.

"And that brings us to the end of today's…" the emcee starts to say in the mic.

Abruptly, May stands up. She knows she has to see Drew. Brandishing the rose she picked up from the Pokemon Centre, she rushes towards the mahogany-coloured curtains at the back of the ice rink. "Excuse me, sorry," she mumbles as she squeezes and pushes through the hordes of people, some still sitting and some starting to get up and take their leave—and after finally breaking through the smothering crowd, she hurries into the backstage without notice, willing her footsteps to slow and soften as she approaches the dressing room.

The room of the dressing door is slightly ajar, just a small crack, and May stands by the door, eye into the crack. Sure enough, Sylvia is seated in front of the lighted mirror, her hands running through the elaborate updo she's tied her hair into, strands of rich dark brown cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall.

Then May sees the strands of emerald green that were hidden in the bun, a stark contrast to her icy demeanour. A silent gasp escapes her lips as she catches sight of the girl in the mirror—green eyes, green hair, the curve of her lips, the slant of her nose… The way she flipped her hair back in the arena…

Drew—

A hand grabs her arm, pulling her away from the door. She stumbles backwards, cursing under her breath, as she twists her arm out of the vice grip and whirls around to meet a pair of emerald green eyes, so familiar and so beautiful at the same time.

Her hand falters, fingers twitching mid-air.

_Drew—_

"Drew," she stutters.

He looks equally shocked to see her here, a frown on his face as he says, "I didn't know you were in Mahogany, May."

She sighs, her hand falling to her side. "Same here," she admits, resisting the urge to curl a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Instead, she takes a step back, rubbing her arm while her eyes take in Drew now that he's close up.

He's grown quite a few inches since they last met, and he's now taller than her, a fact that makes May irritated, naturally, and surprisingly, a little self-conscious. She now has to lift her eyes to meet his gaze and stare at his familiar flop of green hair. Paired with his classic purple short-sleeve jacket worn over a black top and turquoise slacks, May strangely finds him a sight for sore eyes.

He seems to have caught her looking, but thankfully, he doesn't react to it. Heat rushes to her cheeks as she realises he's been doing the same to her, too.

Drew sneaks a glance over his shoulder at Sylvia in the dressing room, and pushes the door slightly so that the gap is covered and the figure skater is obscured from sight, before turning back to May. May tries not to fidget under his stare; the way his eyes track across her face and pin her down with their intensity. A silence hangs between them, growing more and more suffocating by the second.

Finally, he breaks it, saying, "You shouldn't be here."

"Anything wrong with watching a skating performance?" retorts May.

He raises an eyebrow. "I mean, you shouldn't be _here,_ backstage."

May shrugs. No way to argue with that. "I was looking for you. I got quite the shock of my life seeing you pop out of nowhere to challenge Sylvia."

Drew tenses at the Gym Leader's name. "And I suppose you got another shock of your life, seeing me lose the battle," he says tightly, and May immediately knows he's not over his defeat.

Shaking her head, she steps closer to Drew, placing a hand on his shoulder. She tries to ignore the way Drew flinches at her touch, and instead concentrates on saying gently, "No one expects you to win every single one of your battles, Drew. You know you're a great trainer, and so is Sylvia. That's all."

Drew's eyes flash like she's said something wrong, but May doesn't really know what she said to rile him up. His fingers come up to wrap around May's wrist, ready to push her hand off his shoulder any moment. "Well, you don't know Sylvia like I do."

May frowns. "Is she your—"

The door of the dressing room swings open, nearly knocking them over. May stumbles back a few steps as Sylvia steps out into the narrow corridor of the backstage. She looks at the both of them. Her eyes flicker from Drew's seething figure and linger on May, widening in recognition.

"Drew," she acknowledges with a nod. "Brought your girlfriend?" And with that, May is suddenly too aware of the intimate position the two of them are in.

Her face burns as she wrestles her hand out of Drew's grip.

Drew stares blankly at May, then turns to address Sylvia. "Nah. This is May, my friend. She's a Coordinator too," he says coolly. He turns back to May. "Anything else?"

May snaps out of it. Her fingers tighten around the stem of the rose, ignoring the way the thorns threaten to bite through the fabric of her gloves and into her skin. She holds out the red rose towards her rival, forcing a smile on her lips as she says, "For your Roserade!"

"Hmmm." He takes it into his own hand, lifting it to his nose, and sniffs it delicately. His green eyes meet hers. "From the Pokemon Centre, I assume."

She nods. "So I was right. You _did_ leave them there."

Sylvia clears her throat, and the both of them halt their conversation to look at her. She gives May an apologetic smile before saying, "You should get going, Drew." Her voice holds a sort of challenge—no, a warning—and Drew seems to hear it as well, because the small smile fades from his lips.

He squares his shoulders, looking away from the two of them. "Right. See you, May."

"Bye, Drew," May calls after his retreating back. He lifts a hand in farewell as he disappears down the corridor, leaving her and Sylvia alone in the backstage.

May clears her throat awkwardly, bows deeply to the figure skater, and turns to take her leave as well. But from behind her, Sylvia says, "Wait.", and the single word is like a gunshot through the silence.

May mutters a thousand curses in her mind as she turns back to face Sylvia. "Sorry?"

"It's May, right?" asks Sylvia. May nods warily. "I apologise, but would you mind taking a walk with me? There are a lot of things on my mind right now, and all I want now is a person to talk to." She sighs. "I would ask Drew, but he's nowhere a good listener—but you, well—honestly, anyone who manages to be friends with Drew must be a great listener."

May lets out an awkward laugh, not exactly sure where this is going, but curious to find out all the same. "Sure, why not?" she says.

And that is how May follows the Mahogany Gym Leader out of the rink into the peaceful night.


	2. 2

**2**

"I must apologise for Drew," says Sylvia as she and May walk along the cobblestone streets of the town. The shops on either side of the street are already packing up and closing down, and May stares curiously at the flickering lights, burning out to give way to darkness, before Sylvia adds, "I'm sure he can be quite a pain to deal with."

"Well, I guess, yeah, especially when I first met him," admits May, a small smile making her way up her lips as she recalls the first time she and Drew met—at a luxury resort in Slateport City. They've gotten off the wrong foot right from the start. "But it got easier as I got to know him better—he's not as arrogant as I once thought he was."

She glances at Sylvia's side profile, the outline of her face so familiar to someone else she knows, and she can't withhold the question any longer.

"You're his sister, right?" she says carefully.

Sylvia sighs, like she knew the question was coming. "Yes," she confirms. "Younger by nearly ten years. We grew up together in LaRousse City, but we always had very different ideals. Against our parents' wishes, Drew had always expressed his wish to become a Coordinator, so I had to be the one to satisfy our parents and become strong enough to become a Gym Leader."

"But you're already a World Champion for figure skating, right? They weren't satisfied with that?" May asks incredulously. Sylvia shakes her head sadly.

"Some people have no respect or acknowledgement for figure skating, and my parents were two of those people. They were very traditional, as you can tell. So while Drew traipsed around Contests and Festivals in Hoenn and Kanto and Johto, I trained hard to both be a Gym Leader and still maintain my status as a professional figure skater. Only this way can I satisfy my parents and hold on to part of who I am."

"I see," says May slowly, not sure what to make of this. "So you don't like Coordinating, like your parents?"

For some reason, that question makes Sylvia stiffen, and she comes to a halt in the middle of the road. In the dim light of the streets, May can hardly see her expression.

"Something like that," she finally says, and she starts to walk again. May stares after her for a while before catching up with her, the sound of their footsteps a steady rhythm against the quiet of the night. Sylvia's answer is clearly ambiguous, and May can sense there's more to the story than she's been told, but she knows she shouldn't push it.

"We should walk faster," Sylvia says after a while. "They always say that Mahogany Town is a hideout for ninjas, and while it probably doesn't hold true, we still don't want to be caught up in anything of the sort."

So they pick up their pace, and a few minutes later, May finds herself back at the entrance of the Pokemon Centre, the light from inside permeating the darkness of the night and illuminating their figures.

"You were at the Royal Glacia earlier," says Sylvia, out of the blue. May blanches at the question, then nods hesitatingly.

"I saw you too," she admits. "I knew who you were, but I didn't want to disturb you. Sorry."

"It's fine. I think it was fate, for you and I to meet that way." Sylvia tilts her head thoughtfully, her green eyes piercing into May. "Although the question remains if we were fated to meet because you and Drew… you know."

"Drew and I… what?" asks May, confused, but Sylvia shakes her head, a half-smile on her face.

"It's nothing, really," she says. A pause. "I assume you're staying overnight at the Pokemon Centre?"

May nods. "Yeah, and I'm participating in the Contest that's starting three days from today!" Too late, she remembers Sylvia's unfounded prejudice against Pokemon Coordinating.

"Oh right, I nearly forgot you were a Coordinator," says Sylvia with an unreadable tone. May glances up at her sharply, but her face gives away nothing as well. "Does that mean Drew is competing in this Contest as well?"

May shakes her head. "No, he already has five Ribbons that qualify him for the Grand Festival so I assume he's going to skip out on the Contest and practise for the Festival instead," she tells Sylvia. Honestly, she thought Drew's sister should know more about his status than May herself, but considering the Gym Leader isn't the most enthusiastic about Drew being a Coordinator, May tells herself not to be surprised.

"I see," mutters Sylvia. She shakes her head. "Never mind about that now. What I meant to ask you about was, do you want to stay at my place instead? It's bigger and more comfortable than staying in the Centre, and I won't charge you as well." She hesitates, then adds, "Unfortunately, I owed Drew a favour from last time, so I'm accommodating him right now as well—although I'm sure he would very much prefer to stay in a luxury hotel, so I think he's just holding this to me to disturb me. The good thing is, I have an unoccupied guest room which you can stay in, and you'll be great company that I need since Drew will be there. Breakfast will be provided." Her eyes meet May's. "So, May, what do you say?"

She had May at free accommodation and meals, and not even Drew's presence can hinder May from accepting the offer. "I say yes," she tells Sylvia with a smile, and she follows Drew's older sister back to her apartment.

* * *

"Great, the ice queen is back," a snarky voice drawls from inside of the apartment, as Sylvia turns the key in the lock and pushes the front door open. "Did you have a fun time harassing my '_girlfriend'?"_

May lets out a silent sigh at Drew's remark. Removing her shoes, she tiptoes into the apartment, feeling the cold marble floor sting her feet. She finds Drew sprawled on the leather sofa in the living room, Roserade beside him. He seems to have tended to Roserade's battle wounds himself, as the unmistakable smell of Pokemon antiseptic hangs in the air, with bottles of medication on the coffee table. The rose she gave him earlier rests on the glass table as well. It's the most casual and relaxed May's seen him.

At the sound of May's footsteps, he stirs slightly, but doesn't turn his head to look at her. Roserade catches sight of her, but it seems too tired to say anything. May smiles as she tiptoes over to the back of the sofa, squatting down right behind him.

"Number one," she murmurs into his ear, making him jump, "I am not your girlfriend."

He whips his head back, and he sees her. She is so close to his face that she can see his eyes widen the slightest fraction and his pupils dilate from shock. He mutters something inaudible under his breath as he pushes himself upright from the sofa into a sitting position. His cheeks slightly tinged with pink, he asks, "What are you doing here, May?"

"May is staying here for the next three days, until the Contest is over," Sylvia says behind them as she strides into the living room. She grabs a remote from the table and presses a button on the panel. The windows slide shut, the curtains unfurl, and the air conditioners in the room turn on with a beep. Her eyes fall on the medication on the table and frowns.

Drew lunges from the sofa and grabs the remote, pressing a button to turn the air conditioners off. "I told you, as long as I'm here the air-con stays off—you saw what your stupid ice rink did to Roserade today."

Sylvia's eyes flicker to Roserade, who recoils at her gaze, and she sighs. "Fine. But if you're going to talk about taking care of Roserade, don't you know these stuff hampers its healing process? You'd have better luck bringing it to a Pokemon Centre."

"Oh, look at you, pretending to know all about Roserade's needs after abandoning it nearly seven years ago," Drew snaps. "And you probably don't know this, but this isn't the first time Roserade got injured, and this isn't the first time I healed it myself."

"Roserade," Roserade says.

A shadow falls across Sylvia's face. "Fine by me," she says frostily, and stalks past them. She turns around and points to the bedroom door closest to the sofa. "May, this is your room. My room is just beside yours. Just call me if you need anything. Good night."

"Got it," says May quietly as Sylvia's door slams behind her, leaving her, Drew and Roserade alone in the living room.

She sits at one end of the sofa, leaning her head back against the soft cushion and lifting her legs up to the sofa. She smiles at Roserade tiredly. "Hi, Roserade," she whispers. Roserade waves her bouquet of roses at her, gold-lined eyes creasing in delight at seeing her.

Drew joins her, flopping onto the sofa beside her with a small huff. She glances at him, not sure what to say after that conversation with Sylvia.

"Bad night, huh?" she asks carefully.

He gives her a small smile, shaking his head. "I wouldn't exactly say that."

"Hmm." May looks up at the bare ceiling, then looks back at him again. "You two argue quite a lot. Just like me and Max."

"I'm guessing you know that we're siblings, then." May nods at that, grateful for an opening, and Drew sighs. "Unfortunately so."

May continues to watch him closely. He shifts in his seat without holding eye contact with her, and she starts to realise she's making him uncomfortable. "If you want to talk about it," she says softly, "I'll be here."

After a stilted second, he begins to smile—a real smile this time, and turns to look her in the eye. In the light of the living room, his green eyes glimmer with an emotion she can't quite decipher. "Maybe after the Contest," he tells her.

She frowns. "You're entering the Contest?"

It's his turn to frown. "Of course not. But you are, so I don't wish to distract you with my troubles. That's what I meant."

"Oh." May wants to slap herself—she fell into the familiar trap of thinking that Drew only cares about himself, a theory that has been consistently debunked in her Hoenn Grand Festival days—when Harley tried to trick her and make her fail, and Drew was silently keeping an eye out for him all the time—and during the Mulberry Town Contest—when he was there to save Ash, Brock and Max, and foil Team Rocket and Harley's plans.

She ought to know by now that Drew also cares about her—at least, he cares _enough_ about her to help her when she's in need—after all, they are rivals and friends, and they look out for each other when needed.

"Well, I'm touched," she says, and she means it.

"Well," mimics Drew as May stifles a yawn, "You should get to bed, you're probably tired and you need the rest for Contest practice tomorrow."

"You too," she counters. "The Grand Festival is three months away."

Drew smirks and brushes his hair to the side with a sweeping motion of his fingers. "Honestly, May, I don't know why you're worried for me. You're the one with two ribbons short."

Instantly, her mood plummets. That tiredness seeps back into her. She sighs. "You're right," she mumbles.

"Hey," he says softly from the sofa, as she gets up to leave, backpack slung over her shoulder. "I saw you on TV. You were great in Sinnoh. And when you were battling that Dawn… there was this spark in you that I haven't seen at all in Johto. I think you may really have found your own style this time." He pauses. "Just keep that up and you won't need to worry—until you get to the Grand Festival and face me, that is."

She can't fight the smile off her lips. Drew, as usual, is spot-on with his advice—she may have lost the match in Sinnoh, but she's won her own unique style and honed an unbeatable technique.

"You're right," she says with her back facing Drew, but she's pretty sure he can hear the smile in her voice. "Thanks, Drew."

He doesn't say anything else as she shuts her bedroom door behind her, and neither does she, but she knows he's smiling.

* * *

"Morning!" May chirps as she joins Drew at the breakfast table. Sylvia is in the kitchen, cooking up what smells like a really delicious breakfast—May can already taste the onsen egg in her tonkotsu broth.

Drew grunts a reply back, not once lifting his head from checking Roserade's bruises. Roserade waves a bouquet of roses at May in greeting, and Masquerain is perched on the floor, eating Pokemon pellets from its bowl. May looks around at the house, half-expecting to see Flygon, Absol and Butterfree, but they're nowhere to be found.

"Where are your other Pokemon?" she inquires. Drew finally looks up at her, and there's something in his lingering gaze on her that makes her look down at her clothes—she's still in her pajamas—an oversized Glaceon sweater that covered the shorts she's wearing under, and a pair of furry Glaceon socks. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she reaches up to smooth her bedhead.

"They're at the Pokemon Centre," he replies after a while. He's already dressed up in his everyday wear—his purple jacket worn over a black top and aqua pants—ready to go, and May feels terribly underdressed as she slinks down in her chair beside him.

"Mine are, too," she admits, as Sylvia places a bowl of steaming ramen in front of her. She picks up her chopsticks and starts to dig in, while Drew stares at her ramen, and looks down at his empty spot on the table, almost comically. May stifles a laugh.

"Hey, where's mine?" he asks Sylvia.

"Still preparing," comes Sylvia's muffled voice from the kitchen. May hears the sizzling sound of oil, and the unmistakable smell of seafood wafts in the air. She sneaks a look at Drew, and is taken aback to see his eyes shining with tears. Roserade shifts closer to him and wraps an arm around him, murmuring to him in a comforting voice.

Sylvia sets down the plate in front of Drew, and May stares curiously at the dish. It's grilled salmon, with a side of lime and coriander. May recognises it immediately as an iconic delicacy of LaRousse City, which is known for its fresh catch of seafood, especially salmon. And with that knowledge, the realisation dawns on her and she looks at Drew, who is blinking back his tears furiously at the sight. Roserade seems plenty affected as well, sniffing as she looks up at Sylvia with glassy eyes.

Sylvia looks back down at Roserade, and although her face is relatively emotionless as always, May sees her lip twitch, just once, before she says quietly, "I'm sorry," and sits down beside May with her own bowl of ramen, not looking anywhere at the two of them.

They eat in silence after that, until May breaks it by excusing herself from the table and heading back to her room to change.

She peers through the gap in her bedroom door and sees Drew, Sylvia and Roserade at the table together, their postures so rigid that she could cut the tension with a knife. She turns away from the uncomfortable sight—it's obvious these three have a long history back in LaRousse City, which includes, somehow, Sylvia abandoning Roserade as a Roselia, which means Roserade was hers before it was Drew's.

But these are not her problems to mind—for now. She looks at herself in the mirror as she changes into her outside clothes. She brushes her hair, ties it up in a bun before wrapping it in her green bandana. She dresses into her orange vest and grey shorts—she'll need to send them to wash soon, she thinks as she wrinkles her nose at the faint odour. Changing out of her Glaceon socks and tossing them randomly on the floor, she slips on matching grey socks and her white gloves. Lastly, she straps her green fanny pack across her waist, adjusting it so that the bag rested on her back. Giving herself a once-over in the mirror, she nods in approval as she strikes a pose for herself.

It hasn't been easy, getting used to this new outfit—although nothing much except the colours have changed, May still feels she's a completely different person in these clothes. Perhaps it's the underlying symbolism of her shedding off her old techniques and showing off a brand new but uniquely hers style, but as someone who takes the utmost pride and attentiveness in choosing the perfect outfit, May feels this change deep within her.

She gives herself one last look in the mirror, smiles, exhales, and strides out of her room. When she reaches the living room, Drew and Sylvia are already gone and the breakfast table they were eating at just moments ago is now spotless.

* * *

May collects her Pokemon at the Pokemon Centre, and they find an empty training ground behind the Centre, surrounded by lush sakura trees. It's the peak of spring and cherry blossom season, and the Johto region is the perfect region for cherry blossom sightseeing, drawing thousands of tourists every spring. A cool spring breeze tugs, and the pale pink petals spiral gently in the wind, a shifting sea of pink everywhere May looks. The petals remind her of Roserade's Petal Dance, and she smiles at the beauty of spring. Too bad this isn't the time to be sightseeing—though the swirling petals did give her an idea to use for appeals.

"Okay, Glaceon, Venusaur, you're up," she says, and the two of them leap in front of her, standing their ground on the field. In Johto, they can use more than one Pokemon for the appeals round. "The Contest is in two days, so I want the both of you to focus on nailing this combination so we can crush the appeals round, okay?" The two Pokemon nod their heads in unison, and May smiles.

"I know you two can do it. Glaceon, use Ice Shard and Venusaur, you use Petal Blizzard!" The two of them spring into action—Glaceon sending out a burst of ice shards towards the sky while Venusaur releases a fierce stream of swirling petals while spinning. The petals slice the shards of ice into fine pieces that glisten in the morning sun, and paired with the pink petals of the fading blizzard, the sight leaves May breathless.

"Okay," she mutters under her breath as she recalls Drew's battle with Sylvia yesterday in the Gym. "I could get Venusaur to use Morning Sun right before so that the effect is enhanced… or Glaceon could use Iron Tail to shatter the shards too… twirling in mid-air with Iron Tail amongst the petals and ice shards would be a sight to behold, for sure…"

"Not bad," a voice calls out, and May turns to face the source of the voice. She half-expects it to be Drew, so a strange sense of disappointment creeps up on her when she sees it's Sylvia. The figure skater is dressed in the same clothes May saw her in at the Royal Glacia—these must be her training clothes, as her hair is tied up in a ponytail and a bead of sweat is starting to run down the side of her face.

"I see you have a Glaceon as well," she says as she makes her way to the Ice-type Eeveelution. Glaceon stares at her curiously, backing away a step as Sylvia moves closer to it. "I assume you evolved it in the presence of an Ice Rock?"

May nods. "In Sinnoh's Snowpoint City." Sylvia's eyes light up with recognition, and she nods in approval.

"Well, she's beautiful. It's obvious you've raised her well," she praises as she leans forward to stroke Glaceon's fur. Glaceon purrs and preens itself, basking in the attention. "Your Venusaur is majestic as well, and together they make such a great pair."

"Thanks," says May. "You saw our combination just now?"

Sylvia nods, more eager than May has ever seen her—although she's making an obvious effort to play it down, May can see the excitement sparkling in her eyes, and she wonders why she is so vocally against Coordinating when she seems to have a completely opposite attitude right now, staring down at May's Pokemon in wonder. "Yup, that combination was ingenious—combining Grass-type and Ice-type moves together—two polar opposites—and turning them into something absolutely beautiful and stunning."

"Thank you," says May again, pleasantly surprised by Sylvia's acute analysis of her combination. Then, a thought occurs to her, and against her better judgement, she blurts out, "You know, you're actually really good at this stuff—Coordinating, I mean. You seem like you would make a great Coordinator, with your potential for unique appeals and your amazing battling skills. Maybe you should try your hand at it."

Sylvia's jaw tightens, and May immediately knows she's struck a nerve. But surprisingly, Sylvia lets out a breath and says quietly, "I suppose you're right, and I've always wanted to be a Coordinator, you see."

May's head snaps to look at her with that startling new piece of information. "What? For real?"

"It was my dream, along with becoming a professional figure skater." She looks up at the sky, the remnants of the Petal Blizzard and Ice Shard drifting in the faint breeze along with the beautiful cherry blossom petals—and she smiles—a wistful and bittersweet smile, tinged with regret and all the emotions May cannot describe in words. "But having so many dreams with so many expectations and being the eldest child, some things have to be prioritised and some things have to be sacrificed." She sighs.

"When I set out on my Pokemon journey six years ago with Roselia in tow, I was already much older than other children who get to start their journey at ten. I was already 14, having put training for skating before Pokemon—and I was determined to enter Contests to fulfill my dream of being a Coordinator, maybe even become a Top Coordinator. But none of that happened as I travelled through Hoenn. I would always get bombarded with calls from my coach who constantly yelled at me to get back to the rink at LaRousse to practice, and when it wasn't my coach, it was my parents, who pressured me to give up on my Coordinating and instead compete in the League to achieve ranking and status in that regard.

"Although my Coordinating journey was going pretty well that time—I'd earned three ribbons and was still going strong—I let my parents and my coach get to me and I pretty much fumbled after that. I didn't make the cut for the Grand Festival that year, and my parents and my coach used that as an opening to convince me I wasn't cut out for Coordinating. My spirit was pretty much broken after that—but the last thing I wanted was to continue my life at LaRousse being pressured by them. So I went back to LaRousse, relinquished Roselia, and left for Johto. Of course, on the way, I went to a lot of other regions as well—Kanto, Sinnoh, Kalos… I needed a new purpose, a new Pokemon, a new region, a new me. And four years later, here I am." Sylvia gestures at herself, and lets out a sigh for the millionth time today. "My greatest regret was relinquishing Roselia, because I'd foolishly let my emotions take control of my actions and I released it because I thought it was weak and the reason why my dreams failed, but of course it isn't and the most I can do now is be happy that it flourished under Drew's hand and is in a much happier place now."

"Sylvia… wow," says May, left speechless after Sylvia's confession. The figure skater's eyes are glistening with tears, and she doesn't quite know what to say or how to comfort her because she's pretty much in shock herself. "That's one amazing story." It all makes sense to May now—the tension among Sylvia, Drew and Roserade, how Sylvia jibes at Drew for being a Coordinator—the pieces are all falling into place, and May isn't sure if she wants them to now.

"I wouldn't call it amazing, but I get what you mean," mumbles Sylvia. "The main point is, I ruined everything. I ruined my Coordinating dreams, my spirit, and my relationship with Roselia and Drew—and although I'm a decorated figure skater and Gym Leader right now, I still feel empty inside—and watching your beautiful appeal just made me feel even emptier."

May shakes her head,. "Oh, no, Sylvia. You might've made some mistakes in the past, but you're no way a failure." When Sylvia doesn't respond to that, she presses on further, desperate to prove her point to her. "Besides, didn't you see breakfast this morning? You're making such a great effort to ask for Drew and Roserade's forgiveness by preparing a LaRousse delicacy for them, and their reactions show that they still care for you and love you! They just need a little more coaxing on your part as they've been hurt in the past. Keep trying and I'm sure they'll forgive you!" As she speaks the words, she finds herself surprised that she believes these words wholeheartedly.

"You think?" asks Sylvia, a hopeful note in her voice, and May nods eagerly.

"Definitely!" May tells her. "Oh, and about Coordinating, maybe you should take my advice to heart—after all, you're an adult now, you've achieved so much, including your parents' wishes for you to become a Gym Leader who's at the top of her game—so maybe you can give yourself some free rein and get some practice in. Who knows, maybe you can enter a Contest, or even the Contest here two days later!"

Sylvia blanches. "The Mahogany Town Contest? May, I haven't touched Coordinating in four years—what makes you think I'll be ready for a Contest that takes place _two days later?" _She shakes her head. "But thanks for the advice—it really does put things in a fresh perspective, and I'll definitely be trying Coordinating out again."

"That's the spirit!" May cheers, spirits lifting at Sylvia's change of heart. "Honestly, I watched your skating performance yesterday and I was just thinking that it would be even more wonderful if you incorporated that with Pokemon appeal moves." She pauses, scratching her head thoughtfully as she says, "That actually would be more suitable for Pokemon Performances in Kalos, but your awesome battling skills are too good to let up!"

"You flatter me, May," says Sylvia dryly, but she's smiling, something May hasn't really seen Sylvia do. But the smile fades from her face when she checks her wristwatch and purses her lips. "Well, would you look at the time. I have to get back to the rink. See you, May!"

May waves after Sylvia's fast retreating figure, and focuses her attention back on Contest training. After trying out some other creative combinations and fine-tuning her performance for appeals, she and her Pokemon train for battles, training their balance, agility, power and accuracy in every attack and movement they make.

All the while, she's thinking about Sylvia's story. While she feels sympathetic towards the Mahogany Gym Leader, she can't help wondering how deeply this has affected Drew. The green-haired boy couldn't have been older than ten when all of this happened, leaving him without a sister and an abandoned Roselia, not to mention a broken family which parents piled heavy and restricting expectations on both their children, trying to hinder both of their dreams of becoming a Coordinator. She couldn't imagine the pain Drew went through, the hate and grief he directed towards his sister, and the grit and resolve in becoming a Top Coordinator with Roselia to prove his parents wrong and finish what his sister started with Roselia.

May remembers how determined Drew was to challenge Sylvia back in the Gym yesterday, and how defeated he was when he lost the match to Sylvia. She remembers how he glared at Sylvia. She remembers Sylvia drawling, _Disappointing as always, Drew, _before returning Glaceon to her Pokeball.

And lastly, she remembers the strands of green Sylvia hides in her bun, the only links to her life back in LaRousse. She's dyed her green hair a rich brown, save for a few remaining locks of hair—which tells May that Sylvia hasn't completely let go of her past yet. She's still holding on, no matter how much she tries to hide it in the glory of her present achievements.

And so, as the morning light brightens into a strong afternoon sun and May's eating her lunch in the Pokemon Centre restaurant with her Pokemon in the hands of Nurse Joy, she makes a decision to help Drew and Sylvia mend their broken relationship, as much as she can. Although she tells herself it's none of her business, she can't help but care—perhaps it's because she cares too much about Drew for her own good, perhaps it's because she's touched after hearing Sylvia's story. May tells herself it's the latter reason, but she can't deny she's worried for Drew, too.

After all, he's always looked out for her. It's about time she looked out for him.

With that encouraging thought, she digs into her plate of spaghetti with even more vigour, and she's about to send a forkful of noodle into her mouth when a shadow falls over her plate.

She looks up, and it's Drew. Speak of the devil. "See, I was just thinking about you and all of a sudden there you were," she says with a smile, quoting what she said to him before he left for Johto.

It seems like it was just yesterday when they were battling against each other in an unofficial battle and he opened her eyes, just yesterday when they were looking at the sunset together and he said he wanted to go to Johto and he was looking forward to seeing her new style.

He returns her a smile as he slides into the seat opposite her. She shoots him a half-questioning, half-amused look that he artfully avoids as he calls over the waitress and orders another plate of spaghetti. After a stilted second, May decides to roll with it.

"So, Drew," she starts, flashing a grin at the green-haired boy, "How have you been?" The question is nothing but a weak conversation starter, and anyway, she already knows he's earned his fifth and final ribbon a week before she left for the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh.

The waitress returns with his plate of mentaiko pasta, and Drew takes his time answering. "Other than the fact I qualified for the Festival, pretty bad, actually," he says after a while, twirling his fork as he scoops up a portion of his spaghetti elegantly. May's too distracted by his strange answer to even make fun of his refined table etiquette. Frowning, she leans forward, her arms crossed and pressed against the edge of the table.

"Pretty bad? Why?"

His eyes flicker momentarily down at her arms, and May draws back a little, embarrassed at her reaction. "I was concerned that you going to Sinnoh might have been an impulse decision, considering you haven't earned all five of your Johto ribbons yet," he admits. "It just seemed like a risk not worth taking."

May blinks at his frank confession. "Oh. About that. Yeah." She hesitates, before saying quietly, "Honestly, I was afraid of that, too. But now, I think it more than set me back on track, even if I didn't get to win the ribbon, because I've won in so much more. I've won my own style." She smiles, then shakes her head. "It's sweet that you were worried about me, though."

Drew flicks his hair at that, but May can see his expression soften as he looks at her. "Of course. The Festival wouldn't be the same without my best rival there."

"Best rival, huh?" she says, smiling. "Well, I'm honoured." And she really is. For her, Drew has always been _her_ best rival—the first and only person to have pointed out her flaws in such a blunt way she couldn't help feeling _absolutely_ riled up and determined to prove him wrong. Sure, she has other rivals like Harley and Solidad too, and Dawn comes pretty close, but Drew would always be the one who's constantly pushing her to become a better Coordinator—and even a better person.

She just never expected him to feel the same way about her, too. Or at least, not as intensely such that he considered her to be his best rival as well—because every time she looks at him, he's always two steps ahead of her, one level on top of her.

"Anyway," she says. "Enough about me. Let's talk about you for a change, shall we?" She racks her brain for potential topics of conversation, and she realises that other than today's revelations about his childhood with Sylvia in LaRousse City, she really doesn't know a lot about the green-haired Coordinator outside of Contests. She decides not to touch the Sylvia topic for now, since it's a touchy subject.

She tilts her head, a smile playing on her lips as she asks teasingly, "So, you meet any girls lately?"

Drew stills, and he puts down his fork back onto the plate, the clink of metal against porcelain. May watches him curiously as he takes a long sip of his glass of water, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows the water, and sets the glass down before finally opening his mouth.

"What's that even supposed to mean?" he asks carefully.

May shrugs. "Just a honest curious question. I mean, I just realised I barely know anything about your personal life, and yet you know so much of mine. That's kinda unfair, don't you think?" she says, before leaning in with a teasing smile. "A Coordinator with such a big fan base must have girls—and boys—vying for your affection, right? You're probably dating someone, already."

Drew clears his throat, and May realises how close they are to each other's faces. She scoots back, giving them some distance. "Oops, right—your girlfriend wouldn't be happy about this—better keep my distance," she says with a hasty smile, holding out her hands.

He manages a weak eye roll at her. "I don't have a girlfriend, May."

She lets out a mock gasp at that. "Oh, but surely not? The Prince of Hoenn, single?"

Drew shakes his head at that nickname he's been given by the Coordinator community ever since he's come so close to winning the Hoenn Grand Festival nearly three years ago. "You know that's a stupid nickname. After all, don't they call _you_ the Princess of Hoenn? Also, we're too young for dating."

"'We'?" interjects May. Drew's eyes widen as he catches the implication of his words, and he shakes his head.

"I'm too young, you're too young, we're too young, whatever. Besides, you're even younger than me, so you really shouldn't be talking about this," he says, a faint blush on his face as he looks away from May. May smiles in delight at the sight.

"Aw, you're _blushing!"_ she teases him, and he buries his face in his hands, letting out a sigh.

"Remind me again why we're talking about this?" he says in a muffled voice. He's successfully avoided sharing his personal life with her, and May so very dearly wishes to continue probing, but looking at how uncomfortable he looks right now, she can't bear to ask him any more personal questions.

May smiles gently at him as he peeks at her warily through the gaps in his fingers. It's kind of cute, how embarrassed he is.

"Come on, now," she says, seeing that they've both finished their food and suddenly remembering a promise she made before leaving Sinnoh. "Someone's been wanting to meet you."

* * *

"May!" The voice crackles with excitement through the speakers of the computer. The screen lights up with the face of a blue-haired, bubbly girl with the prettiest blue eyes and warmest smile, and for an instant, May's taken back to that moment in the arena, when that exact same face lighted up on the big screen and announced her as the winner of the Wallace Cup—but only for an instant, and before May knows it, she's forgotten that moment and she's back in the present in the Pokemon Centre, where Dawn has accepted her video call. Drew stands a distance behind her, half-hidden and lingering, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Dawn," greets May, grinning at the ever-lively Sinnoh Coordinator. "How's it going?"

"I'm doing just fine!" says Dawn with a beam. "We're currently at Pastoria City, and Ash is wishing to challenge the Gym there."

May chuckles at that. "Sounds like Ash, alright."

Dawn nods, smiling. "How about you, May? How are you doing?" She avoids mentioning her loss at the Wallace Cup explicitly, which May is grateful for. Dawn seems to have developed a particular sensitivity to topics such as Contest losses, and it's probably because they were both on a losing streak before the Wallace Cup.

"Well," she says, glancing at Drew, "I'm at Mahogany Town right now to compete in the Mahogany Town Contest two days from now, and I hope to win my fourth ribbon."

"That's great! Good luck, May! I'm sure you'll be able to win it—you're amazing, after all," replies Dawn earnestly, and May has to laugh at the overzealous compliment to shake off the uncomfortable feeling it gave her. After all, she still remembered her lesson learnt from the Rubello Town Contest, where encouraged by the MFP's compliments, she grew overconfident and complacent of her abilities—and that cost her a ribbon, which she lost to Savannah.

So she hustles that uncomfortable compliment away from her 5u6"Thanks, Dawn, but I'll still have to keep my guard up. Competition is strong." _Even without Drew._ Remembering Drew, she smiles and nudges the boy towards the computer screen. "Oh, by the way, I want you to meet somebody! Drew, this is Dawn, a Coordinator from Sinnoh. Dawn, this is Drew, a Coordinator from Hoenn."

"It's awesome to finally meet you, Drew," gushes Dawn as they bow to each other through the screen. "May has told me so much about you, and I've seen some of your Contests on TV, too—you're amazing!"

"It's nice to meet you too." Drew inclines his head. "Of course, I saw your performance at the Wallace Cup. You're a very talented Pokemon Coordinator, to say the least."

Dawn laughs sheepishly. "Oh, thank you, you're too kind. They call you the Prince of Hoenn, don't they?"

"They sure do," confirms May gleefully, before Drew can say anything to try and debunk that. She resists the urge to add a witty insult after, because their relationship has reached beyond that stage of petty rivalry and turned into somewhat of a friendship.

Drew flushes. "Oh, like they don't call _you_ the Princess of Hoenn," he shoots straight back at her. May sends a glare back at him.

Dawn giggles, her hand to her mouth as she remarks, "Oh, my. Prince and Princess of Hoenn? Why, you two make quite the pair!" May doesn't have to be a genius to hear the suggestive undertones of Dawn's comment—after all, she's done it many a time herself, when trying to matchmake two unlikely people together. But when it's done to _her?_

She feels heat rush to her cheeks and suddenly, she can't seem to turn her head to look at Drew. "Dawn!" she complains. "It's nothing like that."

Dawn raises an eyebrow at her, widening her eyes innocently. May sighs, inwardly. That girl. "Nothing like what?" she asks, obviously playing to make May look like the guilty one here.

"Nothing." May hastens to change the subject. "So, it's your second Contest Ribbon, now, right?" Dawn nods in confirmation. "So when's your next Contest?"

Dawn taps her chin thoughtfully. "Well… it's not totally confirmed right now, but I'll probably be entering the Contest at Celestic Town."

"Good luck!" May says, and Drew joins in to wish her all the best as well.

"Thanks. I'll need it," Dawn replies. She's about to say something when her Poketch rings and vibrates, causing her to jump. She peers at it, and her eyes widen. Looking back at May and Drew, she gives them an apologetic look and says, "Sorry, guys, but Ash and Brock are calling me—I think we're heading out soon again. I'll call you some other time, 'kay, May? It was really nice meeting you, Drew. Bye!"

May waves goodbye to her. The screen flashes black a few seconds later, casting a reflection of herself, and Drew, standing together in silence.

Surprisingly, Drew is the one to break it first.

"So, she's an interesting character alright," he says in a tone of voice that makes May get the feeling he's hinting to the thing Dawn said about the two of them being _quite a pair._

She feels her cheeks flush with heat. "Well, yeah," she says unsurely, her mind frantically running through the possible ways of changing up this awkward dynamic. But Drew, ever the unflustered one, fixes the problem for her.

He flicks his bangs across his forehead and says, "Well, I think I've been taking up too much of both our time. You have to practise for the Contest, and I have to prepare for the Grand Festival, which, by the way, I'm winning, but you already know that."

May feels her smile flit back to her lips in the familiar heat of their long-standing rivalry. She curls her hand into a clenched fist as she smirks up at him and counters, "Oh, yeah? I might have lost to you in the previous Johto Contests but I'm winning the Grand Festival for sure, wait and see!"

Drew mock-yawns as he starts to walk away from her. "You might want to actually get all your five ribbons before talking about winning the Festival, May. See you."

May watches him go, his silhouette accentuated by the golden orange light of the evening sun. "See you at the Grand Festival, Drew!" she calls out to him with a smile on her face.

As usual, he holds up a hand in farewell—_and_ in greeting; a hello—an acknowledgement that he _will_ indeed see her at the Grand Festival.

After all, no one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.

With that knowledge and a determined smile on her face, she heads back out to the petal-covered training ground, and back into training.


	3. 3

**3**

She doesn't stop training the next day.

Of course, she knows she mustn't tire out her Pokémon right before the Contest, so by the time afternoon rolls around, she returns them to their respective Pokéballs and sends them to the Pokémon Centre to have a good rest.

_No distractions, _she tells herself resolutely. _No distractions._

She's spent so much time in and around the Pokémon Centre, Nurse Joy sees her as a familiar face by now. As the automatic doors slide open for May to stride into the healing centre for the fifth time today, Nurse Joy smiles at her knowingly.

"Your Pokémon have all been restored to full health and are good to go," she tells May. Then her voice turns stern. "I would suggest not to overtire them with any more practice, please. You have all been working very hard and I think it's time to take a good long rest before the Contest tomorrow. As a judge, I can tell you that a tired Pokémon won't be able to show off their beauty and power."

She winks at May, and May smiles. Nurse Joy, as always, is right. She _has _been working hard.

"Definitely. We'll take a break, then. Thank you, Nurse Joy!" she replies cheerfully as she receives her Pokéballs from Chansey.

She stifles a sigh as she sinks down onto a couch, feeling her tired body relax against the soft cushion. Even _she_ is tired. Even if she wants no distractions, no distractions just simply isn't possible with no breaks from practicing.

She tries to quell the irrational worry that's constantly niggling at her mind—the worry that she won't be good enough for the Contest, that she'll lose because of that inexperience and carelessness, that complacency and overconfidence. After all, isn't that what's happened for every one of her Contest losses? The R1 Rubello Town Contest, where she lost to Savannah. The Kanto Grand Festival, where she lost to Solidad. The Wallace Cup, where she lost to Dawn. And not to mention every single Johto Contest she lost. She rushed into each battle without thinking, believing she'll somehow pull off a win—because she's a _great_ Coordinator.

No, she mustn't think this way. She mustn't think _any_ way, because once she thinks, she can't stop thinking, and then she won't be able to think at _all_ during the Contest battle.

May knows she's managed to polish her appeals and combination attacks to near perfection—perfection is impossible and that's something she tries to make peace with because her mind just can't seem to understand that concept—so she _knows_ she deserves a break, a long break.

She blinks her bleary eyes, trying to block out the too-bright glare of the Pokémon Centre's overhead lights. Maybe the Pokémon Centre just isn't the place to be right now. Maybe doing some shopping or something will take her mind off things.

May leaves the Centre and retraces her steps to the Gym, taking the same route she and Sylvia took two nights ago, after the Gym's official opening ceremony. She remembers every word of the conversation between them, and marvels at how it has only been two nights since she stumbled across Drew—and a previously undiscovered facet of his personal life.

_We grew up together in LaRousse City, but we always had very different ideals. Against our parents' wishes, Drew had always expressed his wish to become a Coordinator… _

LaRousse City. Her rival grew up in LaRousse City. May still remembers her time at the technologically advanced city, so unlike the rest of Hoenn with its Block Bots and moving lanes. Of course, that was where they encountered Deoxys, the Pokémon from outer space—and lived through the battle between Deoxys and Rayquaza, the mass evacuation of the city, the intense matchups in the crowded Battle Tower… but she doesn't like to relive those memories. What she remembers most vividly, strangely, is the stunning aurorae hanging in the sky over the city, and annoyingly, her LaRousse passport, where her less-than-glamorous passport portrait is, to this day, still ingrained in her mind.

The soles of May's boots crunch against the sidewalk as she stops to gaze at the fresh Berries laid out in front of her. A handwritten sign pasted above tells her there's a discount for the Berries, and as she debates whether to buy the Berries and make some May's Pink Surprise for Munchlax, her thoughts start to slip away again.

She remembers LaRousse City, alright—and she remembers not knowing that LaRousse is Drew's hometown. Then again, he's just a rival, just like Harley and Solidad, and rivals don't know much about each other except for their battling styles.

There was a fleeting moment in time when she thought they could be friends—that fateful sunset back in Kanto's Fennel Valley after their unofficial Contest battle, on a cliff overlooking the valley—the last time she ever saw him in the Kanto region. It was where she leaned back against the fence sitting down and he leaned forward against the fence standing, and they talked about developing new styles and improving and going to new places. She looked at him and he looked back at her with those surprisingly gentle eyes, and she thought she felt an unlikely friendship blossoming.

But friends would know each other's hometown. Friends would know each other's personal stories, outside of Contest battling. Friends would talk the day away without any awkwardness between them, because friends _know_ each other too well for that.

She and Drew aren't friends. She doesn't know why it bothers her so much, but she's always known this very fact and it has always niggled at the back of her mind. Like how the fence on the cliff separated them, their rivalry has always stood in the way of potential friendship. She's always known this fact, but now it is shoved up in her face as she reaches the end of the street and Sylvia's Gym looms before her, cold and grey and telling of a story she doesn't know.

She wants to know the story—Drew's story. With her ever-curious mind and her love for stories, there's no denying that. But she knows that Drew will never tell her his side of the story, because at the end of the day, she and Drew aren't friends. And for some reason, that knowledge stings her the most, even more than the knowledge that he's, as usual, three steps ahead of her.

May comes to a halt in front of the Gym. She stares at the modern structure for a few stilted seconds before she turns on her heel, walks back to the Berry store and buys some Pecha Berries. Swinging her plastic bag over her shoulder, she trudges back to Sylvia's apartment with a heavy heart and swirling thoughts.

* * *

In the kitchen, she grinds the Berries into a pulp in a stone mortar. Each time she lifts the pestle, a different image surfaces in her mind, right before she smashes it into the mortar along with the Berry pulp.

Lift pestle.

Roserade using Mega Drain and finishing off her Eevee with a flash of green in the Cherrygrove Contest.

Smash pestle against mortar. Lift pestle again.

Wigglytuff Body Slamming her Skitty into the battlefield in the Ecruteak Contest, right as the timer runs out.

Slam pestle into pulp. Raise pestle.

The timer running out and Dawn's face lighting up on the screen as winner of the Wallace Cup.

Smash pestle against mortar repeatedly. Lift pestle shakily.

Sylvia's Glaceon slamming Drew's Roserade into the barrier of the rink with Giga Impact.

Slam pestle into pulp. Raise pestle. Slam it against the mortar again. Lift pestle up.

Dawn commenting what a great pair she and Drew make.

May's hand holding the pestle falters as her breath finally lodges in her throat, and she rests the pestle down on the kitchen cabinet, chest heaving and hands pressing against the edge of the worktable, trying to catch her breath. She stares down at the sludge in the mortar and manages a tired but satisfied smile. Sylvia has a Berry Blender in the kitchen, but she prefers to fall back on the traditional mortar and pestle to grind it into a finer pulp before putting it into the Blender, even if it means giving her an upper body workout.

As she pours her Berry pulp into the Berry Blender, the front door clicks and swings open with a whoosh, and Drew steps into the apartment.

May blinks in surprise, but recovers quickly to greet him, "Hi, Drew."

He nods in acknowledgement, his hands stuffed in his pockets of his aqua pants as he asks, "Back so soon, May?"

"Yeah, I've been training all day…" May hums a tune under her breath as she selects some options on the Berry Blender, pushing buttons to get the Blender started. As it blends the Berries, she raises her voice over the din, "I decided to call it a day, seeing the Contest's tomorrow."

He smiles, and he opens his mouth. May's eyes flit to his lips to lip-read what he's saying. "Makes sense." Throwing a glance her way, he says, "I see you're replenishing your Pokéblock supply. You custom make them for your Pokémon?"

She realises she's still staring at his mouth, and with a start, she raises her eyes from his lips, and a hand to her forehead to wipe the sweat off the skin behind her bangs. "Yeah, but it's mostly for Munchlax as he has different tastes—for my other Pokémon I usually just buy ready-made Pokéblocks from the store," she explains with a raised voice, and Drew's eyebrows lift, surely news to him. It feels sort of funny, talking about this to her rival, as she follows Ash's belief of not talking about one's own training style to one's rival outside of the battlefield—but it was the good type of funny: a pleasant feeling, albeit unfamiliar. It's definitely something she can get used to, now that they've moved past petty insults.

May smirks and represses the urge to pump her fist in the air—they're one step closer to being friends.

The Berry Blender whirls to a stop, and they're greeted with sweet silence, save for the sound of May's Pink Surprise Pokéblocks falling out of the Blender and into the ceramic bowl May has placed below. It sounds like raindrops against the roof, and it's refreshing and invigorating all at once.

Drew flicks his hair, and May tells herself she'll bring herself to tell him to stop that habit when they're closer—_if _they ever become closer than this. "Well, I know we always talk about how good _I _am in taking care of my Pokémon," he says, eliciting an unladylike snort from May, "but you know, I have to give credit where it's due. You take _great_ care of your Pokémon, May. The Pokéblock stunt you pulled off with Munchlax at the Chrysanthemum Contest really showed that off, as does how Beautifly's wings sparkle in the sun. It's a beautiful Pokémon, I have to say." As he speaks, he pours himself a cup of water, lifting the cup to his lips.

"I know," says May, amused. Behind the cup, Drew gives her a blank look, and she elaborates with a smirk, "You gave Beautifly so many roses, you'd think you were in love with it."

Mid-gulp, he spits out the water, sputtering. Some of the water splashes onto May's shirt and arm, and she mutters, "Okay. Ew," before proceeding to wipe up the mess on the table as Drew let out the longest groan she has ever heard him let out. She raises her eyebrows at him.

"I'm in love with _Beautifly?"_ he manages to ask. May gives him a strange look.

"Yeah!" she confirms, not understanding why he's so caught up in this. It was just a joke. "Back in Hoenn and Kanto, you used to give me roses all the time and say they were for Beautifly, Mr. Rose."

At the nickname she used to call him in Kanto, his face flushes red and he mutters, "Well, I am _not_ in love with Beautifly."

"Whatever you say, Mr. It's-For-Your-Beautifly," May quips.

He gives her the side-eye—and that's how May knows he's genuinely riled up—before walking away, his cup of water forgotten and his hands still in his pockets. Shrugging, May smiles at his back as she collects the Pokéblocks in the bowl and stores them into her Pokéblock Case.

He obviously is flustered, but really, he only has himself to blame. After all, who else gives roses to a girl and says they're for her Pokémon? May shakes her head as she fishes out her Pokéballs and calls out her Pokémon.

Glaceon, Venusaur and Munchlax materialise in a shower of white light, and she smiles down fondly at them as she feeds them with a Pokéblock each. She pours them a bowl of Pokémon food as well. Munchlax, being Munchlax, seems to be begging her for more with those wide eyes, but May shakes her head gently.

"Nuh-uh, one is more than enough for a day. Sorry, Munchlax, you'll get it in tomorrow's Contest." She shifts her attention to Glaceon, who is nibbling at the Pokéblock appreciatively. "Eat up, Glaceon, you'll be in both the Appeals and Battle round tomorrow…"

Glaceon lets out a tinkling noise, the sound akin to ice crystals clinking against each other. It's the sound Glaceon makes when it's content, and May can't help but smile, reaching out a hand to stroke its head. She looks at the three of them, and she knows there's no way she can't win this Contest with these three amazing Pokémon by her side tomorrow.

She just has to find back that spark, and summon it to start a blaze.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Mahogany Town Contest Hall, where we'll be commencing our first ever Mahogany Town Pokémon Contest! I'm Gillian Meridian, and I'm happy to be your announcer for this exciting Contest!"

Through the screen of the plasma TV, the magnified face of the announcer is a spitting image of Hoenn's Contest announcer Vivian Meridian as well as Kanto's Contest announcer Lillian Meridian. Just like all the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys in the world, this Johto announcer must somehow be related to both Vivian and Lillian—and with a start, May realises this is the same voice she listened to three nights ago, back in the Mahogany Gym.

Her hands grip the edge of the cushioned bench, willing them not to shake. Above her, a cold draft blows out of the air conditioner shaft, and May tells herself that's the reason why goosebumps have started to dot the length of her forearms. Glaceon curls up beside her on the bench, basking in the frosty air even as May shivers. At least one of them is enjoying the temperature, and it's better to have Glaceon relax in a habitat more natural to the Ice-type, right before the Contest.

Mahogany Town sure likes the cold.

The backstage of the Contest Hall is packed with fellow Coordinators, waiting for their turn to be called up on stage for their appeals round. A few of them throw curious glances at May and her Glaceon, no doubt recognising the girl who competed in the finals of the Wallace Cup—and she recognises some of them, too. But they don't bother to say hello, or even wave, so May just silently watches them pass her by.

One thing she's noticed competing in Pokémon Contests is Johto is that the Coordinators here are less friendly to each other—it seems as though it's every man for himself, each to his own. The Contest culture here doesn't agree with her at all—there's nothing nicer than making new friends everywhere—but May can see why people like Drew, for instance, would be suited here. Harley and Solidad, who have always travelled alone as well, as far as she knows, are unaffected by the atmosphere too. But for May, it chills her to the bone, and she doesn't like it at all, one bit. Johto isn't for her, she knows. If it wasn't for Drew, Solidad and Harley who chose to compete in Contests here, she would've just left the second she found out about this culture.

But she didn't, and she's still here, with three ribbons to boot and in too deep. So she has to finish this—it's go big, or go home. She has to win this.

Her hands curl into fists, no longer trembling as her anxiety fades away with the determination and adrenaline. She reaches out to scoop Glaceon into her lap and Glaceon purrs, her tinkling voice mixing with Gillian's excited chatter from the PA system in the backstage.

At a distance behind her, she hears the backstage manager call out contestants number one to go onstage and contestants number two to five to stand by and get ready for their turn, and May fumbles in her fanny pack to check the tag the staff at the registration counter has given her two hours ago. She's contestant number 14. In Johto, the order in which contestants go up onstage is completely randomised; not based on the time you register yourself into the Contest.

She lifts her head to look at the TV screen one more time, and the first contestant has sent out his Quilava, a Pokémon native to Johto and the evolved form of the adorable Cyndaquil, one of the three starters for Trainers. She narrows her eyes at its undeniably fierce Flamethrower, which sends the audience into loud cheers. She'll have to watch out for that Quilava, that's for sure.

Contestant after contestant perform their dazzling routines, and May feels herself starting to yawn. She stifles it, shaking her head vigorously in an attempt to wake herself up. She didn't have the best good night's sleep yesterday due to Contest nerves, as usual, and she's feeling the consequences today. And it's barely ten in the morning.

She gets up from the bench, stretching her limbs as she does so, ready to get some coffee from the front of the room, with Glaceon following closely at her feet. The lingering smell of coffee has been calling her ever since she walked into the Contest Hall. But Gillian's voice rings out in the backstage again, noticeably more excited than ever—and the Coordinators around her start to murmur and point at the TV screen as well. Frowning in confusion, May turns her head up again to look at the screen, and she lets out an audible gasp.

"And for our next contestant, it's none other than Mahogany Town's very own Gym Leader, Sylvia! This is Sylvia's first time in a Pokémon Contest, after a hiatus of eight years since her last Contest in the Hoenn region, so let's give it up for her!" Gillian announces with a wink.

"What is she doing here, stealing our thunder?" May hears someone behind her mutter bitterly, and a few other Coordinators murmur their agreement. She purses her lips at their attitude and looks up at the screen to see Sylvia walk onto the stage with such a grace, she almost looks like she's gliding across the silvered floor. May can't help but smile through her shock at how happy Sylvia looks performing onstage, her face fixed with a beam that was absent during her skating routine in the Gym three nights ago.

She's let her hair down, too, and the green streaks in her hair are visible for all to see.

"She did it," May whispers. "She made it. Oh, Sylvia…"

"Glaceon, Bergmite," Sylvia calls out, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she thrusts her Pokéball out towards the stage, "let's go!"

With its glittering coat, Sylvia's Glaceon appears on the stage, letting out a cry so similar to May's own Glaceon's, the latter Pokémon stirs at the sound, glancing up at the TV. May smiles, bending down to hoist Glaceon up, cradling the Eeveelution in her arms so that it can watch Sylvia's performance as well. She shifts her attention to the other Pokémon that has appeared alongside Sylvia's Glaceon, frowning again.

What did Sylvia call that Pokémon again—Bergmite? From her trusty fanny pack, she takes out her Pokédex and points it at the foreign Pokémon—it can't be from around Johto, Hoenn, _or_ Kanto, in that matter of fact.

Her Pokédex lets out a single beep, and the words "NO DATA" light up on its screen. "No data is found on this Pokémon as it is unidentifiable in the system of this Pokédex," the robotic female voice proclaims, and May bites her bottom lip as she snaps her Pokédex shut.

"No data, huh?" she murmurs to herself, glancing up at the mysterious Pokémon again.

"Oh, it seems like Sylvia has called out her beautiful Glaceon… and Bergmite, an Ice-type Pokémon that is native to the Kalos region!" Gillian exclaims. "With a never-seen-before Pokémon like Bergmite, what new cards will it bring to the table?"

The Kalos region? May narrows her eyes at the mention of the foreign region. She doesn't know much of the faraway exotic region, but occasionally the local TV would broadcast documentaries and travel ads about Kalos, the former discussing about it as the originating region for Mega Evolution, a foreign concept here, and the latter showing off the romantic atmosphere of Lumiose City, Kalos's capital city. She's always been intrigued and enraptured by Kalos, that's for sure, and she wants nothing more but to travel there as another one of her exciting expeditions… but with Sylvia having been there, taking away valuable experiences and skills and bringing them to the Contest here… May knows she needs to watch out.

"Alright, let's get started!" Sylvia says with a smile. "Glaceon, use Aurora Veil, and Bergmite, you use Ice Beam!"

Sylvia's Glaceon lifts its head, baring its graceful neck as it lets out a tinkling cry, and the high-pitched, melodious sound is music to May's ears. A lovely rainbow-coloured aurora, tinted with rich greens and violets, surrounds its body and reaches up to the sky, casting the whole Contest Hall in the beautiful light. The crowd oohs and aahs at the sight, and Bergmite leaps into the air, half-masked by the veil of coloured lights as it fires a glowing blue beam of ice at the field. As the powerful Ice Beam hits the ground, it quickly covers the length of the field in a shining surface of ice, transforming the stage into an ice rink. In the magical glow of the Aurora Veil, the ice glimmers a million beautiful colours.

May's breath catches in her throat at the sight, and Gillian comments with an awestruck tone, "With the rare Ice-type move Aurora Veil in the air and Bergmite's Ice Beam transforming the Hall into a winter wonderland, it's as if we're being teleported to the magical Northern Hemisphere!"

But Sylvia's nowhere near done, May notes.

"And now," Sylvia calls out, sending herself into an effortless twirl across the ice despite the fact that she's not even wearing ice skates, "Let's dance! Glaceon, use Icy Wind! Bergmite, use Powder Snow while you show them your Rapid Spin!"

Glaceon opens its mouth and lets out a gust of frosty air while it takes lunging steps across the sheet of ice, gaining momentum before twirling and spinning gracefully with its four legs, occasionally even leaping into the air spinning before landing down onto the ice without a single slip. It looks just like Sylvia when she's skating across the ice, with as much poise and grace as Sylvia had back at the Mahogany Gym—and when the camera zooms into Glaceon's legs, May realises Glaceon's paws have blocks of ice underneath them that enable it to glide on the ice so smoothly. The camera zooms out to show Bergmite launching into a Rapid Spin that takes off across the ice with incredible speed and control, slicing and carving intricate patterns on the ice. As it spins, a sparkling stream of pale blue powder spirals into the air from its mouth—Bergmite's Powder Snow. The fine bits of ice and snow catch the light of the multi-coloured Aurora Veil and glisten beautifully, rolling out a faint, shimmering rainbow that spreads across the length of the field above.

The crowd bursts out in amazed exclamations once again as Glaceon and Bergmite, taking centre ice, finish off their skating routine with a flourish and dip their heads in unison with Sylvia's curtsy.

"Amazing," May breathes. Around her, the temperature seems to drop even lower, and the Coordinators around her start to murmur again, but she pays none of it any attention, instead focusing on Glaceon, who is similarly starstruck.

"Stunning performance!" Mr. Contesta declares.

"I just got to say it's remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo says.

"An impressive showcase by our very own multi-talented Gym Leader!" agrees Nurse Joy. "I can't wait to see what more is in store for her and her Pokémon."

May straightens, tightening her hold on Glaceon. "After seeing that beautiful performance, Glaceon, how can we ever disappoint the audience by messing up? Let's get out there with Venusaur and show our absolute best!" She pumps her fist into the air, feeling her determination permeate her voice, and Glaceon nods in agreement as well. She smiles at Glaceon, before recalling it into its Pokéball.

"Contestants number 11 to 14, get ready for your turn!" the backstage manager calls, and May replies with a nod, shouting back, "Right!"

Sylvia might have put out a breathtaking and spellbinding appeal, but May isn't going to let her be in the spotlight for too long. May is sure to have hell waiting for her in the battles round, but first of all, she needs to storm the appeals round.

* * *

"And now, it's time for contestant number 14 to _take the stage_—you all know what that means! Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a big hand to welcome May!" Gillian shouts into the mic.

As the audience bursts into cheers and applause, May bounds up onto the stage, standing her ground. The floor of the stage is still slightly wet in the wake of Sylvia's appeals performance. She takes a deep breath.

"Glaceon, Venusaur, take the stage!" she calls out her iconic catchphrase as she sends out her two Pokémon. Glaceon and Venusaur materialise in front of her, ready for their routine, and she smiles, clenching her fist as she shouts, "Venusaur, use Sunny Day!"

The flower on Venusaur's back begins to glow with a dazzling white orb of energy, which shoots up in a powerful jet of light into the sky. The foggy clouds in the sky part immediately, revealing a brilliantly bright sun with its sun rays shining down harshly on the battlefield. The water on the stage sizzles and evaporates into rising steam, leaving the stage spotless and dry.

"Amazing," remarks Gillian. "With Venusaur's powerful Sunny Day, May and her Pokémon have cleared the remnants from previous appeals and manipulated the stage to become their own."

_And we're just getting started,_ May thinks with a smile on her face. "Glaceon, use Ice Shard!" she commands, pointing to the Ice-type Pokémon.

Glaceon's forehead glows light blue before it opens its mouth, firing thousands of ice shards into the air—which sparkle with all the colours of the rainbow in the harsh sunlight. The crowd exclaims in delight and awe at the beautiful sight, and the judges seem equally enraptured.

May only waits a split second for the shards to hang in the air before launching out another confident command to her trusty Grass-type Pokémon, "Venusaur, Petal Blizzard, let's go!" Venusaur releases a wild flurry of pink petals from the flower on its back. The petals swirl in the air frenziedly, cutting and slicing the gigantic ice shards into smaller pieces in the process and transforming the stadium into a garden of cherry blossoms.

She smiles. They learnt Petal Blizzard for Venusaur specifically as a nod to Drew and his Roserade's iconic Petal Dance, and it has contributed to both her appeals and battles significantly.

_It's time to wrap this up,_ she thinks. As the force of the Petal Blizzard buffers the shards of ice from falling to the floor and lifts them further up into the air, she seizes the perfect timing. "Glaceon, jump and use Iron Tail!" she calls.

Glaceon leaps into the air spinning before launching its glowing tail against the nearest ice shard, shattering the ice into a million pieces before using that momentum to jump over to the next ice shard. Amongst the pink petals, Glaceon is a blurring blue figure with the grace of a dancer.

"Wow, it looks like Glaceon is showing off its Iron Tail _and _its agility and balance by moving from one Ice Shard to the next! A talented Pokémon alright—but one thing's for sure—without Venusaur's Sunny Day and simply exquisite Petal Blizzard, those talents can't ever be shown off as well as they are now."

With a final slash against the biggest ice shard, the ice shatters into a million tiny pieces, glistening in the radiant sunlight and forming faint rainbows in the air. Glaceon does a graceful tuck and roll in the sky as it lets itself fall through the air. Mid-fall, Venusaur lashes out its Vine Whip and catches Glaceon with both its vines, before resting it perfectly on its back. The both of them strike their final pose, causing the audience to burst into applause and cheers.

As May bows to the crowd along with Venusaur and Glaceon, Gillian says, "Now, let's see what the judges have to say about May and her Pokémon's performance!"

"Great teamwork between the two Pokémon _and_ the Coordinator. You can really see the hard work put into perfecting the timing for the Ice Shard, Petal Blizzard and Iron Tail combination," praises Mr. Contesta.

"Simply remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo remarks, nodding in agreement.

"An unlikely pair at first sight but they managed to put out a beautiful performance nonetheless," comments Mahogany Town's Nurse Joy, smiling kindly at May. May bows deeply at the judges, then curtsies to the audience for a final time before walking off the stage and returning to the backstage.

In the empty corridor, she bends down to pull Glaceon and Venusaur into a tight hug. "You two were simply amazing," she praises them, fighting to keep the tremble in her voice away. Her Pokémon make delighted noises in their language, and she hugs them tighter, before returning them to their Pokéballs. "Rest well, both of you. You deserve it."

When she stands up and turns around to return to the common area, Sylvia is standing there, her face expressionless. When she meets May's eye, she breaks into a tired smile. May looks at her curiously before breaking the silence and saying, "Hey Sylvia! I can't believe you entered the Contest, that's so great to see—and you were totally amazing out there, too! I'm so proud of you."

Sylvia smiles wider, but May can tell it's forced—the smile doesn't reach her green eyes at all, and she's tied up her hair into a bun again, hiding the green streaks in her hair once more. May wonders why she did that. "Hello, May," she finally says, reaching up a hand to smooth her bangs—not flick them, like she and Drew have a habit of doing, May realises. "Thank you. I saw your performance too. It was beautiful, even more so than what I saw in practice."

"Thank you!" May exclaims, but then quietens down when she sees Sylvia's worried expression surface again. She seems awfully subdued, and May softens her voice and asks, "Sylvia, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, really," Sylvia starts to say, then lets out a heavy sigh. "It's just that—Drew just asked me to meet him outside the Contest Hall. He was watching the Contest, right here. So I'm heading out now to see him."

May frowns as the implication of the words sink in. Drew's here, watching the Contest on site? "You didn't tell him you were entering the Contest?" she inquires. Sylvia shakes her head.

"I kept it from him, so he's probably mad now. But he would be mad either way," she says.

"Why?"

Sylvia glances at the Pokétch on her wrist and shakes her head. "I don't have time for this right now, May, I'm sorry. I have to go." She turns on her heel to stride towards the exit, and May stares after her retreating figure for a few seconds before making up her mind.

"Wait," she calls as she runs after Sylvia. Sylvia stops and turns her head to look at May questioningly. May meets her gaze steadily and flashes at her what she hopes looks like a confident and reassuring smile. "I'll come with you," she says.

Sylvia's eyes flicker with uncertainty. "Drew wouldn't like that," she tells May, but May shrugs.

"I've never cared about whether Drew likes what I'm doing or not." As soon as the words come out of her mouth, she knows it's only half-true—she _does_ look for his opinion and advice on her Contest appeals and combinations. But then May remembers their first meeting back in Slateport City, where he laughed at her, degraded her skills and told her that Contests were no place for an amateur, wannabe Coordinator like her.

Back then, Drew made his opinion clear as day to May, and she didn't give a care about his opinion. She still carried on in Coordinating, improving and getting better through perseverance and determination, and here she is now, a worthy rival of his.

She's never taken Drew's opinion about her to heart, and she won't now. She's coming with Sylvia to see him, and whether he likes it or not, she doesn't care.

* * *

"Drew," Sylvia calls out tentatively as she and May near the back of the Contest Hall, which is framed by a stretch of forest. Outside the din of the Hall, the area is shockingly quiet, and May's shoes scrape against the concrete floor while Sylvia makes no sound at all with her graceful steps. In front of them, Drew stands with his back facing them and his hands in his pockets, unmoving, save for the gentle breeze that tousles his hair and ripples his jacket.

The green-haired boy turns around at Sylvia's voice, his eyes flashing at the sight of his sister. "Took you long enough," he says curtly. Then he catches sight of May, and presses his lips together, frowning.

"You shouldn't be here, May." His voice carries no warmth and gentleness May is used to hearing from him, and May shrinks back a few steps, realising this version of him is a version she faced back during the Kanto Grand Festival after his second round appeal, and a version she desperately doesn't want to relieve.

In an instant, her previous confidence drains out, and she sags. "Uh…" she mumbles, unable to meet his eye. "I just wanted to come and see you, but I guess this is a private moment and I'm intruding… so I'll, um, just—go." She glances at Sylvia, and Sylvia gives her a 'I-told-you-you-shouldn't-have-come' look.

She's just spun on her heel and taken a few hurried steps away from them and back to the Contest Hall when she hears Drew call out, "May, wait."

Stiffening, she turns back slowly and meets Drew's eyes. Sylvia stares at Drew curiously as he says, "You can stay here."

May frowns. "Really?" Why the sudden change of heart? Drew runs a hand through his bangs and nods once. Hesitation slowing down her steps, she walks back to Drew and Sylvia, lingering a small distance behind Sylvia as they face each other.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" Drew says to Sylvia, and May sees Sylvia flinch at his words. "And I don't just mean calling May to come over here with you. Joining the Town Contest now? Really? It's like you just have to show yourself off in as many ways as possible."

As Drew talks on, May gets more and more confused. There is nothing Sylvia gets to gain by bringing May over here—May knows Drew isn't in the least bothered by May's presence.

"Honestly, Drew, I don't get why you're so upset." Sylvia crosses her arms across her chest. "I have my own life now, separate from you and our family. I can do whatever I want. I just joined this Content on a whim, not to pursue Coordinating like you do. Mahogany is my home now, and this is the last Contest I'll ever join. Heck, you're not even _in_ this Contest, I don't understand why you're so affected." May could see the reason in her words, and she turns to Drew, waiting for his response.

"No, _you_ don't get it," snarls Drew, and it's May's turn to flinch. She doesn't want to look up and see his face that's likely to be contorted with the same anger she felt from him in the Kanto Grand Festival. "Yes, it's your life. You can do whatever you want. But Coordinating? You can't _ever _touch that. That's _my_ life. That's what _I'm_ good at. You threw away Coordinating for figure skating and the position of Gym Leader. You abandoned Roselia. You have no right to walk away from that and suddenly walk in again to steal the show." He takes a deep breath before continuing. It's the most May has ever heard him speak in one go. "After you left, _I_ picked up Roselia. _I _picked up Coordinating. I made a name for myself. I did it all by myself. You had everything—you had Mum and Dad's love and support, your coaches, your fans, Roselia—and you threw it all away. You left that life, and now it's mine, and now you just want to barge into my life and take everything I've earned from me—Roserade, ribbons, my friends, my fans…" His voice cracks, and he trails off, something in his fierce facade chipping off.

"Oh, Drew…" May whispers under her breath, her hand to her heart. She can feel the hurt and anger in his voice, and it hurts her, seeing him like that. She feels like she's intruding on something too private for her to see, like he's exposed an achingly vulnerable part of him for her to see, and it's hurting the both of them. Suddenly, she wonders why Drew even wanted her to stay for this conversation.

"God, Drew!" Sylvia spits out, frustration in her voice. "You're one to talk. If you didn't want me to barge into your life, then why did you come and challenge me at the Gym then? _You _came to see me, not the other way around."

"Because I knew you would pull this sort of shit!" Drew shouts back at her. "Actually, half the reason I even chose to come to Johto was so that I could keep an eye on you. I knew you were in Johto, and you haven't kept in touch with Mum and Dad, I know. Who knew what you were up to? And now, I find out you've joined the Contest and stolen the spotlight from other Coordinators who _actually_ need this Ribbon to count towards their participation in the Grand Festival, just like you always enjoy doing—stealing the spotlight—because you just love attention so much, don't you?"

May widens her eyes. Drew came to the Johto region because his sister was there. It all made sense now. She shakes her head. Knowing his calculated nature, she should've realised Drew has a plan and a reason for everything he does.

"Oh, I see what this is really about. By other Coordinators, you mean May, right?" Sylvia scoffs. "Come on, Drew. I don't see you for six years and you're already _this _taken with a girl."

May gapes at her, and she feels heat rush to her cheeks. She doesn't want to look at Drew, but she lifts her gaze anyway, dreading. Drew stares at Sylvia for a second, somehow expressionless.

"I don't see you for six years, Sylvia, and you're still as shitty a person as ever," he says coolly. "Changing the subject and deflecting from your mistakes. Fine—join this Contest, whatever, I don't care anymore. The damage is already done, either way. But don't come into my life any more than you have, and don't take away any other things in my life. After today, I'm leaving your goddamn apartment." He flicks his hair with his fingers in a huff, his face shadowed as he walks away, brushing against Sylvia's shoulder. Sylvia stares after him wordlessly, and May takes a step back, unsure of what to do now.

Suddenly, Drew stops walking and turns back. May gives a start as she realises he's looking at her. As she tries not to squirm under his heated gaze, she bites her lip, unsure what to say to him, or what he wants with her.

"Good luck in the Contest, May," he finally says, and resumes walking towards the Contest Hall.

She feels herself blush again, goddamnit. Thank goodness he's not looking at her. "...Thanks, Drew," she says, still reeling from the conversation he and Sylvia just had in front of her.

"May?"

May turns back to face Sylvia, but she can't seem to meet Drew's sister's gaze after that conversation. "Uh, yeah?"

Sylvia exhales shakily. "I'm sorry. That wasn't something you should've seen." She glances at May, then says, "They ought to have announced the second round contestants and the matchups already. Shall we get going?"

So, for the second time, May follows the Mahogany Gym Leader—this time, out of the woods and back into the Contest Hall.


	4. 4

**4**

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting!" Gillian Meridian greets. "It's been an excruciating wait in a cold day…"

"Gillian hasn't lost any spark in her," Sylvia remarks suddenly, causing May to turn and look at her—and May's taken aback by the look on her face. It's the same look she's seen on her parents' faces when they look at each other, the same look she's seen on Ash's face when he talks about Misty; the same look she's seen on Harley's face when he looks at Solidad.

Sylvia… "You really love her, don't you?" May says softly, and Sylvia looks back at May with a sad smile on her face.

"She's the only person who makes me feel I could be a good person," she says in a quiet voice that's nearly drowned out by Gillian's loud and cheery commentary. "The only person who makes me feel like I'm lovable. She's the Sun and I'm a barren stretch of ice."

May doesn't say anything for a long stretch of time, and Sylvia interrupts the silence, saying, "He really loves you, you know."

May turns to look at Sylvia with a frown on her face. "What?"

"He could've told you to go, but he didn't. However twisted it was, he wanted you to know him better." Sylvia continues staring at the TV screen, but May has a feeling she isn't looking at the Contest anymore. She chuckles, but the sound is more bitter than amused. "Of course, he doesn't want to show the darker side of him to someone like you, but he still did, because ultimately, he wants you, of all people, to know him better."

May hesitates. "I want to know him better too, Sylvia," she says. "But that doesn't mean we're in love with each other. We were rivals for a long time, and we still are, but we've just started to become friends."

Sylvia smiles. "Maybe not, then," she murmurs.

She doesn't say anything else, and neither does May, because with a wave of her hand, Gillian reveals the eight coordinators who made it past the appeals and into the battle round. One by one, Coordinators' faces begin to light up on the big screen, and May narrows her eyes when she sees Sylvia's face appear in the first spot.

May's face comes in next, and as the remaining six Coordinators are revealed, she glances sideways at Sylvia. "We made it," she says.

"So we did," agrees Sylvia, but she's frowning. "Drew's not going to be happy about this."

May shakes her head. "Drew knew the moment he watched your appeal that you were going to make it to the battle round. Everyone knew."

"Drew was right," mumbles Sylvia, her face cast in shadow. May glances at her questioningly, and she bows her head. "I _am_ selfish."

"Listen Sylvia," May says gently, "I don't exactly get everything you guys were talking about outside just now, but I just know a lot of bad stuff happened in the past, so I don't have the right to comment on any of it. But what I know is that there's _nothing_ wrong with chasing your dream. So don't mind what Drew said, okay?"

Sylvia glances at her. "Okay," she says, and she sounds like she's trying to convince herself more than anything else.

"Just focus on the battle," instructs May, and the Gym Leader finally smiles and nods.

"I got it. Thank you, May."

"And now, announcing the matchups for the battle round!" Gillian exclaims, waving her arm towards the big screen in the centre of the stage. The screen lights up, and May stares intently at it, scouring for her familiar Contest Pass portrait. She chews on her lip when she sees she's paired up with the boy with the Quilava that caught her eye earlier in the appeals round.

She fights the instinctive nervousness down, clenching her fists. _No, I will not be scared. I have to win this. I _will _win this._ She's failed countless times before—and Johto isn't an exception—but the burn of failure and the sting of loss still lingers in her. She _can't_ be afraid of failure. She needs to rise up.

"May," Sylvia's voice says, and she blinks, shaking her head a little and looking up to face her. "May, are you okay?"

May's first instinct is to blurt out _I'm fine,_ but that would have been a lie, and she isn't one for lying. Instead, she bites the inside of her cheek and looks down at her lap. "I'm a little nervous… but I'll be fine."

She can feel Sylvia's stare weighing her down, until she finally says, "I believe you. You got this, May."

May nods. "Thank you."

At this very moment, the stagehand peeks his head round the door and calls out, "Sylvia and Wayne, it's your battle next! Sylvia, enter stage left and Wayne, enter stage right."

Sylvia nods, and turns to May. Her smile is warm, but May sees that she's fidgeting with her fingers ever so slightly. "Well, that's my cue. See you, May."

"Good luck!" she replies, grinning back at her. "You'll be awesome!"

And then she was off. May turns her attention back to the TV screen, awaiting the first battle.

"Alright, folks," Gillian says excitedly. "For our first battle, we have Sylvia, on my right, versus Wayne, on my left! Who will emerge victorious?" As she spoke, the two Coordinators take their places on the battlefield, hands clutching their respective Pokeballs ready to send their Pokemon out.

"Five minutes on the clock, and the time starts now!"

"Mothim, come on out!" the other Coordinator, Wayne shouts, tossing his Pokeball. May raises her eyebrows at the unfamiliar moth Pokemon—it must be native to Sinnoh or somewhere.

On the other side of the stage, Sylvia smiles. "Glaceon, let's go!" she calls out. Glaceon appears in a burst of white light and shimmering ice, letting out its piercing cry. It instantly steals everyone's attention, May included. It's obvious who has the upper hand, but only time will tell who will emerge on top, she concedes.

Wayne makes the first move, calling for Mothim to use Silver Wind. May smiles at the familiar move, a trademark of her Beautifly and an iconic move of Drew's Masquerain, as well. The silver wind blasts its way towards Glaceon, a powerful attack that's sure to steal points if it hits its mark, and May wonders how Sylvia's going to counter it, _if_ she's going to counter it—

Faster than she can finish her thought, Sylvia calls out, "Use Blizzard!" Glaceon lets out a tinkling cry reminiscent of icicles and snowstorms, and an unbelievably powerful blizzard shoots out of its mouth, with bits of snow and hail, and the shards of ice fired from its glistening coat. The blizzard hits the silver wind at full force, pushing it back and completely dispersing it. After both moves cancel out each other, the wake of the blizzard sends tiny snowflakes swirling in the air, glistening in the sunlight, and Glaceon scratches its paw against the battlefield, preening in the icy weather.

On the screen, Wayne's points deplete rapidly, making him grit his teeth. Sylvia merely smiles back at him. Gillian gushes about Glaceon's sheer power, as she makes her next move.

"It's hailing," remarks Sylvia. "Then we'll use Aurora Veil, Glaceon!" Glaceon obliges, letting out a cry that creates a sparkling, multi-coloured aurora around itself. "Now, Shadow Ball!"

"Send it back with Silver Wind!" Wayne instantly counters. But Sylvia doesn't seem fazed at all.

Sylvia snaps her fingers. "Use Ice Beam!" Glaceon sends out a jet of ice that freezes the Shadow Ball, and with a whip of its tail, it sends the frozen Shadow Ball zooming back towards Mothim. It hits Mothim before it can react, sending it staggering back in the air.

"Mothim!" Wayne cries out. His points deplete again, and May marvels at how Sylvia's point bar is still full.

"Ice Beam, again!" This time, the Ice Beam hits Mothim with full force. Mothim cries out, and flutters its wings unsteadily. With a start, May realises its wings have little shards of ice on them, hindering its flight.

"Two minutes left on the clock!" announces Gillian, and May sees Wayne grit his teeth again.

He knows he's fighting a losing battle, observes May, and now he's getting more desperate. And it seems he's going to pull up a full-powered move to try and knock out Glaceon before the time runs out, a last resort May is too familiar with using.

But it never works, she thinks, recalling her battles with Drew where he would just counter those moves skillfully like they amounted to nothing. And if Drew's sister Sylvia was anything like her brother, these last-resort full-powered moves would also amount to nothing.

And May was right, for Wayne calls for a Solar Beam from Mothim. She shakes her head, and she hears Drew's voice in her head almost as if he's here watching too: _Bad call._

And it was a bad call indeed. Precious seconds slip by and Mothim's still struggling to gather up enough solar energy for a Solar Beam, and honestly, Wayne should've been smarter—it was _hailing,_ and the sun has been completely covered up by grey, icy clouds.

"It seems Mothim is struggling with its Solar Beam!" remarks Gillian.

"I'm sorry, but it's a bad call," agrees Sylvia. "My Glaceon has made it hail. You're in an icy territory now and the sun won't play to your advantage here." She smiles. "Shadow Ball, Glaceon!" Glaceon sends out a Shadow Ball that instantly hits its mark, sending Mothim to the ground just as the timer buzzes.

"And it's the end of the first battle!" calls out Gillian. "And the winner of this round is Sylvia!" The audience bursts out in cheers and applause, and May claps for her too, amazed by Sylvia's skill. She will be a tough opponent to beat, but May has her other battles to worry about first.

It's her turn next. She gets up and heads towards the stage, ready to face off her opponent.

* * *

One good thing about Johto's Contests is that they allow you to send out any of your Pokemon for any battle round. So May decides to send out Blaziken, her first ever Pokemon. She knows it will win this match. She kisses Blaziken's Pokeball as she emerges on the stage.

And besides, her opponent has sent out Quilava, a formidable Fire-type. So May decides she'll just have to fight fire with fire.

"Use Flame Wheel, Quilava!" the Coordinator orders.

"Blaze Kick!" May counters. As Quilava rolls towards Blaziken engulfed in flames, Blaziken lunges forward and kicks Quilava down to the floor with a blazing leg. Quilava is trapped under Blaziken's kick, and that takes a huge chunk out of her opponent's points.

"Flamethrower!" he calls out, and Quilava opens its mouth to blow a steady stream of fire at Blaziken, attempting to get out of Blaziken's vice grip.

"Fire Spin, Blaziken!" Blaziken pushes back the flamethrower with a blazing spiral of fire, much more powerful and intense than Quilava's fire.

"Amazing," breathes Gillian. "It's an intense showdown between two Fire-types, and neither of them is going down without a fight, although it seems that May's Blaziken has a more powerful fire attack!"

"Use Blaze Kick repeatedly!" May tells Blaziken. Quilava is instantly pummeled by Blaze Kick after Blaze Kick, unable to get a rest.

Eventually, she wins the match, and as she heads back to the backstage, she wipes the sweat off her forehead. Her bandana is soaked from all the heat from the battle. She knew she and Blaziken would win it, but it was clear that Coordinator wouldn't let it be an easy win.

Oh well, it was an intense battle and she enjoyed it thoroughly.

She and Sylvia battle their way up to the finals, and the sun is hanging high in the sky when the both of them reappear on the stage for the last time, finally facing each other off. Despite the heat, she resists the urge to shiver when she meets Sylvia's cold eyes. She's obviously taking this battle seriously, and May knows how dangerous she can be when she's serious.

Well, then she would just have to get serious, too.

"Five minutes on the clock…" Gillian says, "And the time starts _now!"_

"Glaceon, take the stage!" May cries out, sending Glaceon out. For a split second, she wonders if she made the wrong decision of choosing Glaceon instead of Blaziken, a Fire-type which would have been effective against Sylvia's Ice-types, but deep down, she knows that type effectiveness won't win a battle against Sylvia.

She'll just have to show off Glaceon's Ice-type moves better than Sylvia shows off hers.

"Glaceon, huh?" says Sylvia, smiling at May's Pokemon. "I finally get to see it." She holds up her own Pokeball and says, "Well, then I guess I'll just have to choose _you!"_

A familiar Pokemon appears from Sylvia's Pokeball, and May's eyes widen. "It's a Glalie!" she exclaims, and she thinks fondly about Ash's own Glalie. This Glalie looks exactly the same as Ash's, but with a more sinister smile, and… it wears a strange pendant, with a shimmering stone that looks like a marble.

Sylvia gets the first move. "Use Sheer Cold, Glalie!"

Sheer Cold is a move that would instantly knock out the target if it was hit. She knows it too well thanks to Solidad's Lapras. May grits her teeth. _Sylvia isn't playing around._ As Glalie gets ready to freeze the battlefield with its Sheer Cold, she waits for the right time before shouting, "Jump, Glaceon!"

Glaceon springs and leaps high up into the air, free of the frozen ground. As she begins to fall, May calls out, "Iron Tail on the ground!"

Glaceon's tail glows white, and she tucks and rolls in mid-air to gain momentum before launching her tail against the ice. The ice instantly splinters and cracks, shards of ice flying in the air, and Glaceon lands back on the ground perfectly. This instantly takes away a good part of Sylvia's points, and May exhales through her mouth.

Her new battle style. Her _own _battle style. It was working so well with her, and she was completely comfortable with it. She just hopes it would be enough to win her this Ribbon.

"Secret Power!" May commands, and Glaceon charges towards Glalie, its body sparkling pink.

"Use Frost Breath," says Sylvia, and Glalie sends out a blast of icy air towards Glaceon. Glaceon shudders and stops in its tracks, its body fading back to blue. May's points deplete. May grits her teeth, then realises with a start that Glalie has vanished faster than she can see, and reappeared behind Glaceon.

"Behind you, Glaceon!" she warns Glaceon. Glaceon turns her head to glare at Glalie.

Sylvia smirks. "Use Crunch!"

"Iron Tail, Glaceon!" May calls out, and as Glalie's fangs glow white and it lunges forward, Glaceon pivots and strikes Glalie with her glowing tail. Glalie shudders and rolls back, obviously hurt. Sylvia's points decrease.

_Steel-type moves are effective against an Ice-type like Glalie,_ she thinks to herself. But she can't just spam Iron Tail; she has to use it in moderation, and concisely so that she can cut maximum points from Sylvia. But Sylvia's next counterattack comes much faster than she can react.

"Bite on its tail!" Sylvia orders, and Glalie lunges forward again, grabbing Glaceon's tail by its teeth. Glaceon cries out as Glalie's teeth sink into its tail.

May inhales sharply. "Secret Power, Glaceon!" Still held by Glalie, Glaceon's body glows pink again and she slams sideways into Glalie. It's Glalie's turn to cry out in pain, and it releases Glaceon, seeming to strain against invisible bonds but unable to move any further.

"Glalie has been paralysed by Glaceon's Secret Power!" announces Gillian. Sylvia's points deplete further. "We've reached the one minute thirty mark, and May is in the lead! Will Sylvia be able to turn it around?"

"You're doing amazing, May," compliments Sylvia. "You're really keeping me on my feet!"

May beams. "You too, Sylvia! This is really fun!"

Sylvia's eyes darken suddenly, and she fishes out a pendant from under her shirt. The stone, so similar to the one around Glalie's neck, sparkles in the sun, and she looks down at it thoughtfully. Then something seems to come across her face, and she shakes her head, hiding it back under her shirt.

May stares at her, uncomprehending, but decide this isn't the time to be distracted. So she makes her next attack. "Use Iron Tail!"

"Dodge it and use Freeze-Dry," says Sylvia, and Glalie escapes Glaceon's attack effortlessly before its horns glow a brilliant blue, ready to launch its attack. As a beam of light blue energy shoots towards Glaceon, May finally decides to call out Glaceon's last move.

"Mirror Coat!" she shouts, and Glaceon instantly deflects the beam with her shining reflective coat, sending it back towards Glalie so fast that Glalie is unable to dodge it. Glalie is hit with its own attack, and it is flung back and frozen.

The timer buzzes, and the battle is over.

"Time's up!" Gillian announces.

"What an exhilarating battle! I was holding my breath the whole time!" says Mr. Contesta.

"Truly remarkable!" agrees Mr. Sukizo, nodding his head.

"I couldn't take my eyes off of the battle. Both Coordinators are extremely skilled and it really showed through their intense counterattacks," added Nurse Joy with a smile.

The audience erupts in cheers, and Gillian smiles, saying, "I couldn't agree more. Now, let's see who will be the winner of the Mahogany Town Contest. She holds an arm out towards the big screen, and May holds her breath.

The screen lights up, and May sees her own face reflected back at her, and the breath catches in her throat.

"It's May!"

She stares at the screen, open-mouthed, before Sylvia walks right in front of her and sticks out her hand toward her.

"A good battle, May," she says, her eyes sparkling.

May takes her hand and shakes it. "Thanks! You were amazing, Sylvia!"

She laughs. "Thank you. Now go and receive the Ribbon you deserve!" She nudges May forward, and May stumbles a little forward, laughing as she walks towards the centre of the stage, where Mr. Contesta is waiting.

"And now, May will be presented with the beautiful Mahogany Ribbon," Gilllian says, as May steps forward and receives the ribbon with both hands.

"A brilliant performance, Miss May," Mr. Contesta praises. "A well-deserved Ribbon. I'll be hoping to see you at this year's Grand Festival!"

She grins. "You can count on it, sir!"

She looks down at the mahogany-coloured Ribbon in her hand, the polished golden badge sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight. She smiles down at it, even as her eyes prickle with tears. She's finally broken her losing streak and her efforts have paid off with this Ribbon. Every Ribbon she's ever earned means so much to her, but this one will always resonate with her, a representation of her efforts and her breakthrough, her comeback.

And Mahogany… Mahogany means so much to her now! It is the town where she made her comeback. It is the town where she met Sylvia, who has inspired her and motivated her so much. It is the town where she met Drew again, and learnt more about him and encouraged her to continue training to break her losing streak. And it is the colour of the Ribbon that held all of those experiences and efforts and helped her become a better Coordinator.

As the whole stadium claps for her, she bows deeply and dips her head. Then she straightens and closes her eyes, her mind teeming with thoughts.

* * *

"MAY!" the voice screams at her through the screen, and the speakers crackle with static. May recoils a little at the piercing sound, but then bursts out laughing.

"No, seriously, May, that's amazing! _You're_ amazing!" Dawn exclaims, and May's cheeks heat up. "I'm so happy for you—oh, I can't wait to tell Ash and Brock about this!"

She sighs. "Nah, don't tell Ash. I don't want to distract him from his training, I know he's very focused on that."

Dawn frowns, then admits, "True." She taps her chin thoughtfully.

"But you can tell Brock privately," May says to fill in the silence. Dawn nods.

"Of course! I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that." Then her eyes light up, and she tilts her head at May. "So you're going to celebrate now, right?" When May doesn't say anything, she adds, "It was such a hard-earned victory, and you worked so hard."

May smiles a little, then shakes her head. "Nah, I'm not going to celebrate. I'm at the Pokemon Centre now, and after I finish our call I'm going to continue training."

"Training?" asks Dawn, creasing her brow. "But you just won, can't you and your Pokemon take a break for today?"

"Glaceon, Blaziken and Venusaur _are_ at the Pokemon Centre now recuperating," agrees May. "But I still have Beautifly, Delcatty and Munchlax and if I'm going to enter the Grand Festival, I'll still need to get even better. But of course, rest assured, I'm not going to overwork ourselves. I know our limits."

"Wow, you're dedicated, alright," says Dawn, her eyes shining. "Alright then, I'm going to train really hard, too!"

May smiles. "See, Dawn, I remember when I was competing in the Hoenn Grand Festival a few years back, and Robert had won…"

"Ooh, Robert, I know him!" exclaims Dawn. "He's amazing, so no surprise there. Then what happened?"

May stares thoughtfully down at her hand, and continues, "…and during the afterparty, I had a really fun time celebrating and all that. Then I found someone I knew training on the beach, away from the afterparty!

"And back then, I was confused too. I asked him why he wasn't at the party, and he told me Robert was training, too. I asked why Robert was training when he just won _first place!_ And he said…"

As she speaks, Drew's voice echoes the same words in her mind, as clear as day.

_That's right he did, and how do you suppose he got good enough to win? You always have to keep trying better or someone will pass you by._

"Wow," says Dawn, eyes wide. "That makes a lot of sense."

May smiles. "Right? Thanks to that someone, I'd learned so much and become a better Coordinator. That's why I'm still going to train now."

"Good for you, May!" says Dawn. "Who could that someone be, though? I wonder…"

May frowns. "Hey, hey, that's not the main point!" she says sternly, but she can feel her face flush with heat anyway.

Dawn smirks and says, "It's Drew, right?"

She fights off the blush on her face and replies as nonchalantly as she can, "Y-yeah! How'd you know?"

Dawn laughs. "I don't know, maybe because your eyes light up every time you talk about him and you blush like crazy?"

"Dawn!" May practically screeches. "We're just friends!" The word slips out before she can think it through, and she realises that regardless of how close she and Drew actually are, or how well they know each other, she still considers Drew a friend.

A friend. She likes the idea of that.

Dawn snickers softly. "Keep telling yourself that."

May sighs, shaking her head at her friend's antics. "Anyway, I've got to get going now. Good luck with your Contests!"

"Thanks! You too, May," replies Dawn cheerfully. "Okay, bye!" In a flash, she disappears from the screen, and May is left staring at her reflection in the darkened screen.

She places a hand against her cheek and sighs at the burning heat. She doesn't know what has come over her. Maybe Dawn was right, she shouldn't overtire herself. With the chilly weather and her overexertion, perhaps she's coming down with a fever.

Whatever.

She heads out to the back of the Pokemon Centre for her training, but it isn't long after she's sent out her Pokemon and did some basic moves when she hears someone's footsteps behind her.

"I've been looking for you," a voice says, and May whirls around to see Drew, his hands tucked in his pockets.

She smiles, but suddenly she's too tired to be cheerful. "Hi, Drew." Beautifly flutters over and lands on her head, letting out a squeal in greeting.

Suddenly, he pulls out a rose out of nowhere with a flourish, and holds it towards her. In the moonlight, his features are illuminated and May strangely can't seem to meet his eyes.

"You did great today, May," he says. "And it's no easy feat, defeating my sister. I only wish I could have done it myself, but…" He smiles, and May's breath suddenly catches in her throat. "If anybody could have done it, it's you."

She feels a little flustered for no good reason, and she blushes at his compliment, looking down and scratching her head with her finger. "Thank you, Drew." When his hand wavers, she looks down at the rose and blurts out, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Drew furrows his eyebrows. "What?"

"Beautifly's right here," she says. "You're not going to give it to her?"

"Beautifly!" Beautifly lets out a cry, and flutters its wings.

Drew blinks at Beautifly. "Uh…" He sighs and shoves it into May's hand, and May blinks in surprise. "You give it to her. Bye."

May stares down at the rose in her hand incredulously, and calls after his retreating back, "Coward… you can't even give it to her yourself!"

He ignores her, and May is left with nothing but a red rose in her hand, and Beautifly on her head, Delcatty circling around her legs, and Munchlax snoring on the ground a distance away.

She stares down at the rose Drew gave her, twirling the thornless stem, and sighs, shaking her head. Another rose to add to her ever growing collection of red roses.


End file.
